I live in oak park and katys is my go to for Chinese food in the area. Nothing else around oak park is even close, so if I don't have time to go to Chinatown katys gets the job done. The food is pretty good, though sometimes inconsistent-must be different chefs cooking the food. My favorite dishes are: shrimp with egg yolk pasted around 15 extra large shrimp shell on coated with egg yolk-Very authentic. Very delicious. Three chili fish very good though sometimes inconsistent. If it were slightly less oily I'd enjoy it more Fried rice- we ask for curry to be added to the fired rice for a Singaporean style. It's very good. Get the combo. The beef chicken and shrimp were all cooked very well. Large portions! Price is very fair, though attentiveness is sometimes not there regarding service service. Overall 4/5.
(4)
Nick C.
Great local asian cuisine. We followed the consensus by going with the shrimp and chive dumplings and they did not disappoint... delicious! We also went with the sesame chicken which was among the best we've had. Beef and broccoli was a good dish (typical beef and broccoli), the pork and chive dumplings were good as well. We have dined in and taken out. Eating in is nice, the place is clean and updated, service was great. They do have old menus on the wall sort of half assedly covered up from what I assume to be a prior establishment which was a little funky, but harmless. We've also ordered delivery, which was quick and the food was hot.
(5)
Emily P.
So, I doubt this is very good Chinese food with the exception of the dumplings and hand-pulled noodles. But we like it for a guilty pleasure. I do recommend the dumplings highly. Service is mostly friendly but barely competent. We've experienced missing entrees and disappearing waitresses.
(3)
Joshua N.
I'm saddened to not be able to give a better review to Katy's Dumpling House. This restaurant brings a highly specialized ethnic authenticity that Oak Park almost never sees. The Szechwan dishes, when prepared correctly, are some of the most accurate and palate pleasing you'll find outside of Chinatown. And "when prepared correctly" is the key here. After several visits, I still cannot believe how hit and miss the menu is. Some appetizers are good enough and some are amazing. Entrees range from terrible to kind of good. And the Szechwan specialities are either amazing, or... not quite right. Everything is so random. Examples: * The General Tao's chicken is very good. You wouldn't normally want to order such a common dish in a specialized Chinese restaurant such as this one, but it's what they are good at. * Yu Xiang Eggplant: This basic staple of Szechwan and Hunan is completely phoned in. The eggplant is too coarsely cut, and there's a complete lack of garlic sauce. China should sue this place for even using the term "yu xiang" so inaccurately. * The worst offender: the duck. Instead of being roasted in the Chinese tradition, it's *deep fried*. The result is so disgusting, my friends and I couldn't finish it. I don't think I've ever left duck on the plate before. * Hui Guo Rou (twice cooked pork) was the least authentic dish I've seen in ANY Chinese restaurant in a long time. Popular in mandarin restaurants around the world, this dish is so easy to make any beginner Chinese chef could pull it off. But what we got at our table recently was 1/4 cup of kind of rough shredded beef, topped with mounds and mounds of sliced leeks. And lots of salt. * The tripe and tendon appetizers were nearly perfect. Excellent examples of Szechwan dishes done right. Why can't the rest of the menu be prepared this well? Also, the service for dine-in is particularly unreliable. I've had the wrong order brought to me in the past, and on my last visit the wait staff just completely forgot to put in our second round of food orders -- without any apology or even a resigned shrug. If only there were a definitive guide as to what menu items are good and what are failures, I would go here more often, and perhaps award a higher review. One of my friends suggested that dishes with pre-made sauces tended to be better. I may go back at some point to test this theory.
(2)
Amanda R.
I just moved to the area a couple months ago and Katy's is already one of my favorite places to eat. The dumplings are so good (I recommend the Chengdu and the Triple) and very reasonably priced (two people can eat here for under $30 quite easily). They do a lunch special where you get a free smoothie with your entree... the smoothies are very good, too. There are only a couple things that I don't really care for: - There is not a very good selection of drinks - the iced tea is pretty bad - They only give you one fortune cookie at the end of your meal even if there's two people at your table Improve these things and it'll be 5 stars all the way!!!
Good spot for Chinese in Oak Park, whether you're dining in or carrying out. Katy's House 'o' Dumplings has consistently delivered on their food and friendliness, and I'm a fan of their decor. I want to note, though, that when they underwent a name/ownership change, the old restaurant title was still visible in places, so they plastered takeout menus to cover it up. A little goofy and tacky, but the awesome hanging paper lanterns and fishtank atone for this. Egg drop soup is good, but it's made with corn (wtf). The very first time I got it, I angrily thought out loud "who put corn in my soup?", Googled why this happened, and realized that something like 1 out of 10 places do this. Allllllrighty then. Crab rangoons are tasty, potstickers aren't bad, service over the phone is typically polite and relatively easy to understand. Most of their stuff is a decent value, although the kung pao chicken entree is considerably light on the chicken, heavy on the green peppers and peapods. Their take-home containers are terrific! I've probably accumulated 50 of them in the past year and a half. Best thing about this place? The terra cotta warrior standing guard at the entrance. Santa, if you're reading this, I want one of those larger-than-life statues for christmas this year. I've been a good boy......sort of.
(4)
Lizzy C.
Not as good as Chinatown restaurants but good enough for a quick Asian style lunch. Beef noodle is the best if less salty.
(4)
Rui C.
Hands down the best Chinese food in & around Oak Park. I moved to OP 6 months ago from southern California (aka, land of great Chinese food) and had trouble finding delicious & authentic Chinese food here. A friend of mine suggested Luo's, man oh man what a mistake that was! After being burned by Luo's, I was hesitant to try Katy's but a girl needs her beef noodle soup! Thank goodness Katy's did not let me down! All the dishes I've ordered from here so far tasted authentic and great, but a bit too salty. I recommend the beef noodle soup, the szechuan boiled fish, the stir fried hand pulled noodles with veggies, the cumin lamb, and the shiao long bao. The service here has been pretty good and consistent, so nothing to complain about. I will definitely be back & getting deliveries once it gets to be too cold to go outside.
(4)
Shamoon K.
I got takeout from here over the weekend and was happy about one dish and disappointed about the others. Not one dish was bad though, just not anything good. First we got the Chengdu Dumplings with shrimp and they were ok. I was looking forward to this dish the most because with a name like Katy's Dumpling House, I thought that they would be amazing. Turns out they weren't. They were just standard normal fare dumplings. Next came the Cantonese Chicken Fried Noodles. The chicken was just boiled with no seasoning or sauce and just plopped on top of everything. Pretty bad. The rest of the dish was fine though. Lastly, we got the beef noodle soup. Which was great. The noodles were easily the highlight of the dish. Nice and chewy and think. Really soaked up the broth too. The beef pieces though, were extremely fatty and gelatinous so that sucked. Its not like I was unhappy with the overall food, just disappointed. I'll be trying other places from now on.
(3)
Aimee M.
During my early days on Yelp, I jumped on the Katy's bandwagon when they just had the spot in Westmont. Now there are three locations. Since I frequent Oak Park regularly, I was hoping some of Katy's noodle magic found it's way to their OP location. The first time I visited we ordered take out--pork/chive potstickers and pan fried noodles with shrimp. Even after a 20 min drive home everything was still hot and delicious. The potstickers were plump and tasty, the wrapping slightly firm but not mushy at all. The noodle dish was flavorful, perfect texture, nice chew, not mushy either. The most recent time I dined solo for lunch and just wanted soup. I was the only one there which was fine so I could slurp away as loudly as I wanted. I didn't of course but the soup was mighty tasty. I ordered the Xiao Long Bao (Juicy steam buns) and an order of beef noodle soup. I recently had my first taste of XLB in HK and I became an instant fan so I'm trying to find places in Chicagoland that have them. Here's my tip: don't order them here. They were so gross. They weren't well made, the wrapping didn't hold up so all the "soup" ran out of it. The filling was mushy and didn't seemed cooked well enough. yuck. If I had to rate Katy's on the XLB alone it would get one star. But my past take out orders and their soup is really what saves them. The Beef Noodle soup was excellent. So many layers of flavor. There's cumin, then garlic and the heat of the chili just warms you up all over. The meat is tender and cooked well and the noodles--well the noodles were perfect. Service has always been friendly. I forgot my cellphone here and they even ran out to try to catch me.
(4)
Craig S.
Second attempt at trying to eat at 8:30. Failed completely. If you stop seating early, note that on your hours. Don't say you're open until 9 if you aren't. I miss the old place before it became this travesty. I understand that the people that work there need to clean up and get home. That's not my point. My point is that if you stop seating people before 8:30, why on earth do you advertise your hours as 9? Say you close at 8:30, problem solved.
(1)
Kathy S.
Been here a couple times - once picking up and another time for dine in. I prefer the Katy's in Westmont a lot more. Last time I went, the Chengdu dumplings and pork & chive potstickers were good but the other two items we tried were not so great. I prefer saltier foods but the dan dan noodles were waaay too salty. I actually ate the noodles with potstickers that I didn't dip in sauce to balance it out. I had the noodles at the other location and it was much better. The beef & scallion potstickers were underwhelming as well...reminded me more of an empanada due to the shredded beef and it was just odd (to me). Service is close to non-existent. We just flagged down the server to order, get refills, etc. He and two other employees were sitting in one of the booths playing on their laptop/tablets. Last thing to note. The time we did get pickup from them, one of the potstickers had a tiny metal ring embedded into it. If we didn't see it when we were eating, one of us could have easily choked on it.
(1)
Monica S.
The restaurant at the Oak Park location takes the cake for being the most modernized Katy's Dumpling House chain. It doesn't feel as homey as the Westmont or Naperville locations, nor is the bathroom awkwardly situated in the back of the kitchen like at the Westmont location. However, my food was only decent. I ordered a vegetarian chow fun, which turned out to be somewhat mushy. The pancakes were slightly more oily than I expected. My friend ordered the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) which were soggier than usual; in fact, one ripped open in the bamboo steaming basket. Our waiter did give consistent water refills but failed to clean up spilled water on the floor next to my table. Someone could slip from the puddle! Overall, if you want to visit a more upscale Chinese place but can settle for average Chinese food and okay service, then Katy's Dumpling House is a decent option. Otherwise, I'd go to the other 2 locations.
(3)
Scott S.
Everything was so fresh and Delilah. The fried noodles are hand pulled. Scallion pancakes on the way. I could eat here once a week happily and keep exploring the menu
(5)
Jackie W.
My husband is obsessed with this place. Honestly, I don't like any Chinese cuisine really but this place we frequent and I actually really enjoy it. Their ingredients are super fresh, the meals are seasoned perfectly and their interior of the space is lovely. They allow you to BYOB but we've never done it, usually we go for lunch - I keep reminding us to try drinks for dinner :) Our kiddos really like it too, and they seem to be patient enough with them. Which is super important to us. I recommend the fried noodles and the dumplings with chicken and bok choy are amazing.
(5)
Darci A.
Takeout- phone order: I had tried to explain what I wanted because there are so many items on the menu and none that I could find to match the yummy yelp pics I'd seen... so I ordered the "pan fried noodles with beef and extra vegetables". I was almost given fried rice but luckily I corrected the order that was read back to me. The food was ready in 10 minutes and it was really good, however a bit oily for my taste and I didn't get any veggies in the meal. The egg rolls were really good. I would definitely eat here again, I just need to figure out how to order. I wish the menu had better descriptions for newbs like me! I also tried to go back around 9:30 with a friend and the kitchen had closed...I hate people who come late too but I was under the impression the kitchen was open til 10 on Fridays. If you want to order food be sure to get there at least an hour before the kitchen closes I guess.
(3)
Chris G.
I wanted to like this place. But definitely a disappointment. The dumpling were definitely homemade but the filling was poor quality and had a bit of a funk. The soup noodles were also bland and watered down. Tasted just like water and soy. Would be better with a homemade stock. Definitely can find better.
(1)
Maggie G.
The food here is pretty good, satisfies a Chinese food craving. No liquor license at the Oak Park location so don't order something so spicy a Tsingtao beer is required.
We love Katy's food and either eat in or order out at least once a month. We have made it a goal to try different things each time since the menu is so eclectic and "pan" Asian. Nothing else in OP compares to quality of food hands down. only issue is that the service can be very inconsistent. I think that 50% of the time we have what I would call acceptable service. I now know what to expect so I "manage" the service in my own way - by ordering everything at once, by telling them to bring me the bill when they are serving the food, etc. On carryout orders, do not expect food to be ready until at least twice as long as they tell you on the phone. 10 min=20 min etc. and you must open up your bag and check that they got it right and didn't forget anything. one funny/strange incident - we ordered beef tendon appetizer which my husband learned to like from having Korean college roommates. The waiter brought it to our table and was about to set it down, then did an abrupt about face and took it to another table occupied by Asian customers. They told him that they didn't order it and he consulted his paper and sheepishly brought it back to our table, with the comment, "I didn't think white people would order this." we got a kick out of it but it was not something he should have said out loud!
(4)
Michelle L.
I'm upset about the review I have to write on this place. I have been here a bunch of times, and they have AWESOME dumplings (chengdu are my fav) however, the last few times I've come the service has gotten worse and worse. They have never had outstanding service, but it was okay enough that I didn't feel negative about it. The last time my boyfriend and I came in he ordered the 3 Chili Chicken. They made a mistake and brought him 3 Cups Chicken. Our waiter did apologize, but instead of offering to get him the correct dish, he said "just try it, you will like it". He didn't like it, and we came to find later on our bill that it's more expensive than the original dish he wanted. Okay, so we love the dumplings enough that we decide we can go back, we just have to be clearer when we order. So we went today and first off our waitress was wearing a winter peacoat and scarf, completely unprofessional (and its June?) and we were the only customers in there. Then they forgot about our dumplings, that we ordered as an appetizer, so I kindly reminded her, after calling out to get her attention, and we got them after our entrees came out. She did not bother to check on us once, and did not refill my water until we paid the bill. While we ate our meal, there were two other servers present, sitting in a booth with her having social hour, their phone kept ringing and no one got to it with any urgency. I'm just really disappointed because their dumplings as I said are great, and they're really cheap and BYOB, but I will never eat in there again. There's still a shred of hope for carry out, but I'm not even sure about that.
(2)
Katie C.
Not just another Chinese restaurant. They offer Korean dishes and what looks like Thai dishes to me. I had the Buddha vegie dinner with rice and the vegetables were the freshest I've ever had. And those shitake mushrooms were out of this world! My new go to for Asian cuisine!
(5)
Tamera B.
So, I had lunch here and it was just ok. The food was tasty, but portions small and service lacking. I tried the Mongolian Beef and wonton soup. I dined alone and there we only 2-3 more parties in the restaurant, but my server kept getting lost for long periods of time. So I had to ask for my water to be refilled a couple of times and ask for my check. I observed my server sitting at a booth in the back of the restaurant looking at a laptop, laughing, and having a jovial time with another worker much of time. So, I had to just ask anyone that I saw walking by when I needed something. The Mongolian Beef and soup were both good, but due to the service mishaps, I probably won't stop by this place again.
I really enjoyed the food here. Everything was tasty and fresh. We ordered: scallion pancakes, shrimp and chive pot stickers, orange chicken, and Singapore noodles. The restaurant itself is nice as well and our server was friendly. I would recommend it for sure.
(4)
James B.
We moved to Oak Park a year ago and are still searching for a go-to Chinese restaurant. Katy's was the next on our list, and unfortunately - our search continues. To summarize our food experience- Egg rolls: DONT ORDER. They just have the generic frozen ones that they buy by the box and warm up for you. They do not make homemade egg rolls. If you like these cabbage-only egg rolls go to Costco and buy 100 of them for $3.29. At Katy's you get 2 for $2.50. Pot Stickers: They allegedly specialize in these (and dumplings). They weren't bad, but they didn't blow me away. They are pot stickers, nothing more. Sesame Chicken. The meat itself wasn't bad, but it was a run-of-the-mill dish you could achieve at Panda Express. Pan fried noodles with pork. Not bad .. lots more sauce than meat. All in all it was all just very average. But it definitely wasn't cheap. I like the online ordering but I don't like the $3.50 delivery charge ... Unless you live within walking distance of the restaurant you're gonna get charged this.. I live 1.1 miles away and apparently that 4 minute drive warrants a delivery charge.
(2)
Laurie B.
This review is for service (or lack there of) during our recent visit. The food was great. The service was not at all friendly. Today for my family's visit, our server never smiled, greeted us or even made eye contact with us. Our food was great--Dan Dan noodle rocks as did the pickled cabbage pork noodle soup. We had to flag someone down for water. There was zero interaction during our meal. I generally don't like being interrupted, but this was extreme. When we were finished eating, our server never looked at us or thanked us for coming. We paid and even left a decent tip--I'm regretting that decision as she did not deserve it and certainly was not grateful.
It says Katy's Dumpling House on the outside of the building and Hutong Cafe on the inside. Either way, I'm eating here again. The noodle is such an integral part of Asian cuisine and the fact that they hand stretch their noodles daily and make fresh dumplings daily is a huge plus! Massive respect from me. We got the boiled pork and bok choy dumplings and they were delicious. I got the chenghu Dan Dan noodles that was a sure winner with its spice level and baby bok choy. My wife got the chicken fried noodles. She added sriracha to it because we are spice junkies, but I tried a bite before she put it on and it had a beautifully subtle flavor. If you don't like spice, but you want a good authentic fried noodle dish, this simple one will do. The service wasn't fantastic, but it was towards the end of the night and they were still super sweet. And the food was great. They deliver too. Plus!
(4)
Weisun C.
A late lunch on a weekday was my first visit here with a veteran customer. While I'm familar with steamed or deep-fried dumplings (Cantonese "gui loam") or pan-fried pot stickers, my first boiled dumplings would be at this Katy's, within view of the famed Lake Theater. The cock's-comb-shaped pouches were made from a rather thick sheet of dough. The texture reminded me of Polish perogis, which are also boiled. Ours were the shrimp and chive variety (8 to the order). The dipping soy-based sauce is definitely recommended. We split two main dishes, a relatively mild "Stir-fried Shredded Pancake" with chicken, and a fiery hot "Chengdu Dan Dan Noodle." Both hold surprises for even careful menu readers. Since there is no whole pancake with that first dish, what you get is the pancake cut into long strips. The noodle dish from the Sichuan region of China is super spicy owing to the chili oil and Sichuan peppers (mainly the seeds) used. It's listed on the menu under the grouping, "Noodle Soup," but there is no soup involved. Both go well with the steamed white rice. But the Dan Dan Noodles you have to be prepared for! There is also minced pork under those spicy noodles. Both dishes were finely executed and well presented. Lots more here to return for (an 8-panel menu full of tempting items). Besides Chinese items, there are Korean and Thai dishes. Lots of items "in Chengdu Style" too. The spicy/peppery items are shown with little pepper symbols of warning. To slake those fiery tastes, they offer fruity smoothies and ice cream. Despite their name, Katy's main specialty is their handmade noodles.
(4)
Tzeittle C.
Great service and okay food. We got the scallion and shrimp dumplings and they tasted good but we're a little "too wet" for my liking. The strawberry smoothie was great, though!
(3)
claire r.
Terrible delivery service! We just ordered. It took over an hour and a half to come to our house. I called twice. The first time they said the driver was out with our food. Called 20 mins later to cancel my order since it still hadn't arrived and was told bc it was out with the driver that they couldn't refund. They said the driver left 30 MINUTES AGO and they would call and have him 'go to our house first'. Umm it was already sitting in the car for at least 30 mins! The food did arrive. It was fine. The pot stickers were terrible - perhaps because they sat for god knows how long. So, so frustrating. How can a restaurant not have figured out how to deliver promptly.
(1)
JS T.
We always go to the original Westmont location, which is where everything is made (noodles, dumplings, etc.) Unfortunately, we had a craving on a Monday, and the Naperville and Westmont locations were closed. A bit disappointing. A few thoughts: 1. The noodles are still as a good as the original. Very chewy, cooked perfectly, and I felt the portion was about the same, but my husband thought it was less than the Westmont location. 2. They water down the beef soup (much more potent at Westmont) and I think they add MSG because I was pretty thirsty afterwards. They also put chopped raw garlic in the soup, which is weird because it's supposed to be fried or at least cooked down a bit. 3. Generally I don't expect much with service at a Chinese restaurant, but it was pretty poor since we showed up on at 2:00 in the afternoon and the hostess/waitress was leisurely cutting green beans and chatting with her friend while the one server had to take our order and clear the 5-6 tables that needed to be bussed. I felt bad for him. The unbussed tables also made the restaurant feel kind of grungy. 4. Prices are more expensive than Westmont, though I expect because renting the space is more (Westmont is more hole in the wall interior). Final conclusions: Probably won't return to this location unless I'm craving the noodles (really can't find anything as good anywhere else) and it's a Monday. Otherwise, I'm better off waiting to go to the original.
(3)
Sarah S.
Had to add an update to my last review since we have tried the delivery service several times now. Would NOT recommend using delivery from here. Despite living less than 5 miles away it has never taken less than an hour to receive the delivery. The last time it took nearly 2 hours, which was the last straw. I will still go to Katy's to dine in, as it is still by far the best Chinese food in Oak Park. I will no longer use the delivery option.
(5)
Jo B.
Underwhelming, given the high hopes I had for Katy's. We ordered sesame chicken, pot stickers, and crab Rangoon. The Rangoon is the only thing I would order again. Nothing was bad, but everything was just bland. I will stick to my usual Chinese place.
(3)
Chika S.
I agree with other reviews about the strange covered up display menus on the wall... I've gone a few times for Sunday lunch and it is pretty deserted too. The decor is contemporary and nice, service decent... Noodles and dumplings amazing!!! This is one if those places you need to know what to order and stuck with it. We all (5 of us) didn't like the shrimp and lobster or the hot and sour soup... Too starchy and gelatinous. But the wonton soup, fried noodle dishes, and crispy duck were really good. Free smoothies @ Sunday lunch... gotta love That! If we have a couple more good dishes I'll bump up my rating to 4 stars.
(3)
Kelsey H.
It was the attractive decor that drew my husband and I in on a cold afternoon of Christmas shopping..... Sadly, it was the former Hutong's tasteful decor and not Katy's. In fact, the only changes they made was taping their take-out menu over anything that said "Hutong" or pieces of paper that said "Katy's Dumpling House." Then of course, you finally realize that the pictures of yummy food are Hutong's too! Classy. Service was spotty. We were seated and brought water, no straws. We sat and sat and watched different people walk past before someone finally stopped to get our order. Our waiter never introduced himself or anything. Many times we waited and waited to get our waters refilled. We shared crab rangoons which were really good. The dipping sauce they bring out (spicy mustard and sweet and sour) were both pretty spicy but came out in little jars that are obviously shared among many many people. And everyones using the same little spoon to put on their food... We also shared shrimp and chive steamed buns and chicken shredded pancake. The steamed buns were..okay... The bun itself was good but it was literally just straight shredded chives and a piece of shrimp. Way too much chive. And I really like chives! The shredded pancake was really good but the chicken made it inedible. It was clearly cooked days ago and then microwaved and it just had that awful microwave taste... We couldn't eat it. I did pick out pieces of the pancake that was good though. Won't be back.
(2)
Robby K.
A great place for warm soup on a cold winter night. Go in there with a game plan such as splitting a spicy Korean beef and tofu soup and sharing 2 orders of dumplings (as we did). I preferred the pork chive pot sticker. The gf liked shrimp and chive boiled dumplings better. FYI dumplings and pot stickers are the same things :) I'm excited to go back for bao buns and traditional duck vermacelli among other duck options. We'll definitely be back a ton and will grab carry out occasionally. Why 4 stars? Because I am still not sure if they serve alcohol, or if they byob? They had wine glasses behind the cashier.. After dining in, taking a menu home, I still dont know their booze sitch.
(4)
Jess C.
I'm all about the noodle and this place delivers just that! I've had the steamed dumplings to Dan Dan noodles to pad Thai to the beef noodle soup. And I recommend them all! My only beef with them is their service is slow but friendly. Parking is close by right next to Pier One.
(4)
Matt M.
I'll preface my review with - I am not the biggest dumpling person in the world. But the dumplings here are good enough to make any person who is luke warm on dumpling satisfied and often makes you crave them later. The only downside seems to be the other food. And by downside I mean average. It would serve them well to take the next step and make the quality of their non-dumpling focused foods and make them as awesome as dumplings.
(4)
Linda B.
Have had delivery here a few times, no problem. Tonite, the receipt had been stapled to the wrong order. Seems to be cleared up..they actually picked it back up...and are sending out the correct order. BUT no credit/ discount for the fact we had to eat two hours late or for the hassle. My husband asked and was told to mention it next time and we will get free appetizers. As if there will be a next time! Zilch customer service Post script...got our order, no rice for one of the dishes!!! Awful
(1)
Holly A.
I'm so confused by the low ratings. This is my favorite restaurant of any kind in Oak Park, and the solid quality + large menu gives me lots of reasons to keep coming back. As others have said, the noodles are handmade and really special compared to other restaurants' noodle dishes. Some of my other favorites: * Dumplings of any kind -- they're handmade and awesome. * Three-chili chicken -- like little bits of sweet, spicy boneless fried chicken. * Yushan eggplant -- there aren't a lot of vegetable dishes on the menu, but this one makes up for it. * Cucumber with garlic -- served cold, a great appetizer. I'm sure there are lots more winners. I promise to keep trying new ones to see.
(5)
Deena H.
Vegetable Fried rice is really good and had whole pieces of broccoli and pea pods. The Orange chicken was not good in my opinion but the general tsaos was really good and spicy too. Crab Rangoon is average. They don't give enough sauce with delivery so remember to ask them in advance.
(3)
Char Y.
the food quality varies depends on the day. the beef noodle soup is always solid, although the meat quantity has definitely gone down through the years. the other dishes are questionable at best due to quantity and taste. the dumplings are still great!
(3)
Sol A.
Walked in late one evening about 9pm. Even though they were cleaning up to close they never hurried us. Not only was the food was wonderful the service was good as well. Their veggie dishes are so creative and the flavors were excellent. We of course had to try the dumplings. They're huge and tasty. Every time I've eaten here the food has been spot on. Good choice if you're in the mood for something different. Stop in. They wouldn't disappoint.
(3)
Katherine M.
I have ordered from here so many times and its been great. Last night ruined it. I always order extra sauce with my dumplings and crab Rangoon. However, last night I wasn't even given one. Not even the packets. There were two, yes two soy sauce packets in the bag for a decent sized order. Seriously ? Oh, and the sweet and sour chicken was so soggy it was inedible. What a waste of money !!!!
(1)
Yvonne B.
Super cute and comfortable interior design. I've never seen anyone at the host(ess) station up front so it's really not clear what to do. The primary server man is a sweetie but struggles with understanding and speaking English. The food is good, but some dishes are standouts: - Pork & Chives Dumplings - Orange Chicken - Sesame Chicken - Three Chili (Chicken) - Smoothies M thinks they charged $9 for my smoothie. It was HUGE, but it was only supposed to be $4. Don't know if M was mistaken or what. Just keep an eye out. Oh - they're BYOB which is important because they really don't have a lot in the way of beverages. Like, they have pop, water, and smoothies.
(4)
Timothy T.
Very good Chinese food, possibly no MSG. Fresh tasting, lean meats and very good veggies. Inside scoop: The best mango shake I've had in a few years (since being on a mango farm in SE Asia). Sit back, relax and enjoy. Oh, and say hi to the replica terra cotta statue for me (photo op!)
(5)
Rees S.
This place has pretty quickly become a standby in our family repertoire for dining out locally. Everything we have tried has been decent, but the standout items we keep ordering are the green curry shrimp with green beans and broccoli, the kung pao chicken and the three cups chicken, which my teenage son cannot get enough of. We usually get dumplings and pot stickers as appetizers. The service is cheerful and pleasant and this is a good choice for a family dinner out that doesn't break the bank.
(4)
Jomel R.
Best word to describe the food here is greasy. The beef noodle soup has a thick layer of oil, the salt and pepper crispy tofu is served sitting in oil, and the Mongolian beef is made with a sauce that's mostly oil. Second best word would be bland. I've given this place way too many chances just because it's a few blocks away, but the food is just not good and is pricey for the portions they give. I'd rather go to panda express.
(1)
Joshua H.
Whenever I directly pick out a place to eat, we always end up not enjoying it. I'm sad to note that Katy's was no exception to this rule. I was initially attracted to this place by the name and how the building looked. Based on the decor it looked like a really nice, modern Asian restaurant. After we got inside and looked around it quickly became apparent that the decor belonged the restaurant that was there prior, Hutong. You could tell because there were pieces of white paper with "KATY'S DUMPLING HOUSE" written in sharpie plastered over every sign where "Hutong" had been written prior. We were seated quickly enough, but it seriously took around 15 minutes for someone to bring us water and take our order. That's with them walking past our table 4-5 times. It wasn't like the place was packed. We were seated behind the only other people there. Coming to a dumpling house we decided we should probably try the dumplings. So along with our staple of crab rangoon we got shrimp and chive dumplings and something called a chicken stir-fried shredded pancake. The crab rangoon came out right away and was good. The cream cheese inside wasn't overly sugared or anything and the crab meat was actually real crab and not the imitation stuff. It was all fried perfectly too. They brought with it two sauce dishes, one was sweet and sour and the other was soy sauce. I thought the sweet and sour sauce was really good and had a nice little kick to it. Next came the dumplings. The dumplings honestly were just straight salad shrimp stuffed into a wonton wrapper with a like a billion chives. They didn't really have any seasoning to them. The flavor wasn't bad, I just expected a bit more. The last thing to come out was our chicken stir-fried shredded pancake. The vegetables inside were good, as was the shredded pancake. If you ate those individually you were in the clear. The chicken however is a whole different story. It just tasted like a mixture between freezer burn and extreme microwave. I'm someone who will cook a plain chicken breast in the oven and then microwave it for lunch the next day, and I thought it was too microwaved. I don't really know how to conclude this review. I really couldn't find much to redeem this place. It's not somewhere I'd go again.
(1)
Thomas C.
Really would give it 4 1/2 stars. There are some pretty decent Chinese spots in Oak Park, North star being the most notable, but had always wanted to check out Katy's other location because we love dumplings/potstickers. So on a whim on a sunday decided to get carry out and we were not disappointed. We tried the Fish and pork and chive potstickers, DELICIOUS. Mongolian Beef was the best I've had, and we tried the chicken cantonese noodles which were as good as everything else. Next we will dine in, but great first impression.
(4)
Simon R.
We are frequent flyers in this restaurant and like the food ( 4 stars for the food itself ). The problem are the bathrooms - they are filthy even when the restaurant opens. There is simply no excuse for overflowing garbage cans at the start of the business day. ZERO stars for bathroom cleanliness. Let's hope that the state of the bathrooms is not duplicated in the kitchen....which is just across a narrow hallway from the bathrooms.....
(2)
Uriel B.
I called this place as soon as I was off work. I figured the food would be there by the time I got home. I almost always give restaurants a good chance at proving me wrong even when I am a bit picky. I got home and still waited up to an hour and a half after I had ordered. I live less than 4 blocks away. I called and asked what was taking so long, being that I live pretty close. I was put on hold for a couple of minutes while they discussed calling the delivery driver. After a while. I was hung up on. I called back immediately and asked again what the situation was. "10 minutes, driver is down the street". I called back after 10 minutes and the people answering the phone put the phone down argued that the order had not even been made and hung up. I called back. Cancelled the order. So I ordered from elsewhere. 20 minutes later the driver calls and says he is outside. This is the worst communication I have ever had with a restaurant so close. As stated by other reviewers, the service is horrible.
(1)
Rose C.
Finally tried the actual restaurant. The two stars are for the beautiful interior. The cheap-o covering of the former "Hutongs" name everywhere is well, funny, but at the same time incredibly unprofessional, and reflects badly on the newer owners. I mean, taped up, hand written Katy's Dumplings over all the very professionally done signs? In such a beautiful space? I kind of prefer the hole-in-the-wall Katy's in Westmont, at least it is very clear that decor is not what the place is about. Still, I looked forward to my lunch. It was a hot day, so I didn't have my usual beef tendon noodle soup. Instead, I had beef stir fry. Sadly, it was impossibly oily, super sweet, and otherwise bland and tasteless. The dish I ordered was supposed to be a spicy dish. The texture of the noodles was great, though, as always, I loved the noodles. Not thinking I'll be back, but I'll go out to Westmont for sure, even though the OP location is certainly much closer and very beautiful.
(2)
Jackie K.
Had a great date night out with my husband here this past weekend. The food was amazing and I highly recommend their hand pulled noodles - delicious. The BYOB we should have planned for but either way we'll be back and ready. Good for dates, family friendly and friends - huge menu, too.
(5)
Izzy N.
I've been meaning to try Katy's dumplings for a couple years now so I'm glad to see there's a new location in oak park. Behold: bouncy, nicely seasoned noodles with a slight chew. How noodles are meant to be. With just enough vegetables and plump shrimp. Spoon on generous amounts of chili oil/paste... Delicious. Fucking. Delicious. They made for good left overs too! We had the shredded pancakes also and they were fantastic. Nice little wok char marks. Pour on some chili oil and it's perfect. I would get those two again immediately. It was a great meal but noooooo I made sure we rounded out the meal with a couple more dishes for good measure. We also had their salt and pepper squid which was barely average at best- I wouldn't get that again- I've yet to find any place in the midwest that can do that dish any justice but their chive and shrimp dumplings were pretty good. You can get them steamed or fried potsticker style and we opted for the potstickers. Hello, fried.. that's music to my ears! They're plump but watch out, they're really juicey and a good amount of broth from the filling would squirt out and these weren't even the soup dumplings. Dip it in their vinegary soy dipping sauce and add in a heaping spoonful of chili oil.. you're golden. I was pretty happy with our meal- for the first time in a long time I didn't feel like I had put a lighter to my money - wasting it on garbage. It's an awful feeling. They provide chili oil if you ask for chili sauce so maybe next time I'll just bring a little bottle in my bag. Service was efficient and just nice enough without being overbearing. Great cuz I'm here to eat. I don't expect to be coddled like a newborn infant when dining out especially in an Asian restaurant. You live in Oak park so who are you to be a snob suddenly... puh-leez Needless to say, I'll be returning very soon! Noodles! It's all about the hand pulled noodles!! Do it! Almost as good as my beloved du kuh bees! Oh and free wifi. Sweet.
(5)
Chris J.
Had lunch here once before and liked it alot. Went back for a second taste and didn't like it so much. Orange Beef had no heat and no orange flavor to speak of. ordered the Seame Chicken and found it flavorless and seemed to be coated with the same sugar sweet sauce the orange beef was? The soups were just ok and the steamed bun was bland.
(2)
Allison R.
Decor: Katy's has leftover decor from Hutong which is great because that's the only thing I liked about that place. It is a little strange to see they've literally just taped paper over the old name on the posters on the wall, but oh well. Be careful as you're walking in the front door because I've accidentally run into to the PF Chang-look-a-like statue on multiple occasions. Service: It's on the slow side and you will probably have to ask for more drinks. However, I find a common theme in most good Asian sit down restaurants is crappy decor and slow service. If it bugs you to have to wait a bit longer than usual try them at lunch or do delivery. Food: The shrimp and chive dumplings are amazing and filling enough to have that be your entree. I've had both the steamed and the pan fried versions and they were both delicious. The shredded pancake is also very good. It's a noodle dish with lots hand pulled noodles. All of their dishes are pretty decently priced too. Overall: It's so nice to finally have good Chinese food in Oak Park, even if you do have to wait a little longer to get it. They are also BYOB with no corking fee.
(4)
Miles S.
I wish I could give this place 5 stars, but SLOW customer service time and time again doesn't deserve 5 stars. The food on the other hand is OUTSTANDING! Pleasantly surprised at the great tasting food. Do yourself a favor and order takeout so you don't have to deal with slow and unattentive waiters. Pan fried noodles are always fresh and delicious! Servings for the noodles are massive and will feed you for more than one meal. Dumplings are also to die for. The food deserves a 5, the service deserves a 1.
(4)
Kai K.
I ordered from Katy's based on the good Yelp reviews, but good God, it was quite possibly the worst Chinese food I've ever eaten. I swear to you, I seriously feel cheated that I paid money for it. It tasted like somebody who'd never cooked a meal in their life simply pulled up a few easy Chinese recipes online and then proceeded to flavor them with garbage. Both my wife and I are bewildered as to how this place is even open. We threw most of it out, and I feel like I should also post a sign by my trashcan when I take it out to the street so as to warn away any freegans who might come by.
(1)
Michael C.
This is my go to chinese restaurant in oak park, and I love the fact that it tastes so authentic. Please do yourself a favor and order one of their noodle dishes, but make sure that it's one where they use their own noodles! The noodles here are so a perfect texture and have a slight chewiness that you certainly don't find everywhere. I'm a big fan of the Dan Dan Noodles although they are quite spicy. Their stir fried shredded pancake is also I believe homemade and delicious as well. The fresh vegetables used and the amount of meat makes it a great pick. Overall very great food here. It doesn't get 5 stars from me because it is pretty expensive for chinese food, but I guess when you hand make a lot of your own food, c
(4)
Pieter W.
As much as I love visiting Chicago's Chinatown district, I used to always wish that there was a local establishment that served delicious, authentic Chinese dishes, especially Sichuaneze. Thanks to Katy's, it's just a few blocks down the street! You can't go wrong with the hand-pulled noodles, and I highly recommend the homemade dumplings and pot stickers. And if you like spicy food don't miss out on the beef or shrimp in spicy Szechuan sauce, it's loaded with flavor! Seriously, you WILL NOT find better Chinese food outside of Chinatown!
(4)
David S.
Couldn't stand Hutong, the MIL suggested that now it was full-on Katy's it was better - she was right! Excellent Chicken Chow Fun and the spicy Fried Tofu. The dumplings we had were a bit mushy, sitting in a sad little pool of water in the dish. I still gave it 4 stars because it is the best Chinese in Oak Park! Probably will just use for delivery from now on, but glad it's here!
(4)
Janet J.
A take out order, and maybe we should have tried the dumplings at Katy's Dumpling House. Our appetizers were quite good. We had egg rolls and pot stickers. Our entrees (ginger shredded duck and garlic black pepper beef) were way too salty and we wound up throwing them out. Many better Chinese food options in Oak Park.
(2)
Adam K.
How this place has such good reviews is beyond me. Horrendous service, with our waitress frequently walking past our table without acknowledging us. In fact, I don't think she once the interacted with us without being flagged down first. The food itself is not offensive. If the service were even mediocre I might come here again. That said, I ordered sesame chicken, but the waitress set it in front of me and called it sesame beef; upon eating it, neither my wife nor I could say definitively which it was. So there's that. Also, the ambiance: The restaurant is clean and well appointed overall. BUT, Katy's took over for the failed Hutong Cafe, and didn't even bother to change or remove Hutong's large, prominent menu boards! Instead, they just papered over the old menu using -- wait for it -- TAKEOUT MENUS. Yes, they literally used takeout menus to decorate the place. It's a minor thing in the grand scheme of things, but it is a good illustrator of the general lack of professionalism of the place. I really wanted to like Katy's, but not so much.
(2)
Susie C.
The last time I've reviewed here was a poor experience and that's primarily because of the noodle soups.. I've tried few of their noodle soups and it wasn't good. The last two times I've been back my husband and I ordered their other Chinese dishes - fish filet with spicy bean sauce, green beans, chow fun, fried rice, potstickers, etc.. These are actually really good! This is why I have to revise my update because the last two times we've came here we ordered really good food. Plus there are more Chinese people eating here now so that makes it even more authentic. The customer service is still really great. My husband loves their fried rice...whenever he says I want fried rice at home, we know exactly where to go. Yep, this is a good place to fill in our Chinatown eats..since we don't live by Chinatown anymore. It is mroe expensive but still good.
(4)
Mary Ann C.
Yummmmmmm. The dumplings and two entrees were awesome!! The pork and fennel dumplings were superb. Better than any other dumpling I have ever tried! The fish dumplings were my second favorite. Cannot wait for another night of carry out!
(4)
Casey M.
This place rules! Hands down our favorite restaurant in Oak Park! Katy's is always an exciting treat!
(5)
Airen J.
Looking for Asian cuisine while visiting Oak Park? Katy's will not disappoint. Great ambiance, quick and attentive service and my meal was great. Great for date night and I will be back!
(4)
Bethany K.
LOVE this place. Great food, prompt service, and lovely ambiance inside. The noodles and the dumpling wrappers are all made by hand. The dumplings are incredible; not soggy at all, very tender and springy without being too chewy. All the dumplings are also available in the fried potsticker style, too. Every time I've been, they have never disappointed me. It's reasonably priced, and there are a respectable number of vegetarian options.
(4)
Skyla A.
I'd give it 100 stars if we had that many!! The orange chicken was moist and saucy! The green beans were cooked and seasoned to perfection and the hot fish soup is like umm YUMMY!!! Also, the veggie pancake noodles are sooooo good!
(5)
Labor U.
Traveling salesman eat all over the country. For what I got and what I paid unbalanced. Fast food in a nice neighborhood. Average to fair food. ordered the noodle soup. Nice sesame taste 3 shrimp in a huge bowl of noodles. Like the noodles just not so much. Hope you enjoy more than I did.
(3)
Carmen A.
First time here. Through yelps tips I had the homemade noodles and alot of other food items. We were pleasantly surprised. Everything was great and flavorful. We will definetly be back again.
(4)
David N.
I like the food, but the service it horrible. I have tried eating in and delivery and in all cases the the staff had trouble understanding the order (the person on the phone had very limited english language skills). With the delivery , this has caused (on two separate occasions) our order to be completely wrong. When I complained, they only offered an apology and promptly hung up the phone on me. Good food or not, it's not worth the hassle. When you go inside the restaurant, there are odd coverings over all the places throughout the restaurant that has the old restaurant's name (which was Hutong). They also show that they accept American Express (on their website, on the carry out menus, and on the check holders in the restaurant). When you try to pay with American Express, then they tell you they don't accept it.....huh???
(1)
Nancy E.
Omg went to dinner here and, I think I have found heave . the food tasted so fresh and so good and not to mention, the chengu dumplings yaaaaaaaa or the fusion spring rolls and the noodles hmmmmm ,again all I can say is this a favorite and it so affordable and the service is so awesome , will be going their again ,and again everyone need to try this place it is so awsome.
(5)
M W.
Not a big fan of Chinese food AT ALL but my boyfriend is, so I gave it a try. The crab rangoon was delicious and gone pretty quickly. I had the dumplings afterwards, and they were kinda slimy and not at all good. My boyfriend didn't enjoy his meal either.
(2)
Colin R.
I'm a loyal customer of Katy's. For the price, this is the best Szechuan you can get in the area. The spring rolls are fresh and delicious, and the portion size of their entree's are big enough to feed a small army. I usually walk away with a full stomach, a sub-10 dollar dent in my wallet, and a smile on my face.
(5)
Bria D.
I work at an office down the street from this pace; so I decided to come here on my lunch break a few weeks ago. I walked in on a Friday during the lunch time rush, it was pretty crowded but not crazy. I was seated right way and given a menu and a glass of water. I glanced over the menu...they offer a wide variety of Chinese, Cantonese, and Thai food. I ordered the red Thai curry and it was delicious! This was my very first time having it and I was extremely satisfied; although I wish it was a bit spicier. My waiter was very attentive, and also quite handsome which was an added bonus. I will definitely be back.
(5)
Parker L.
This place is average takeout at best. Came here after reading the yelp reviews and left wishing I ate somewhere else as there are so many better places in oak park. Had shredded pancake and dumplings. Came Luke warm to table. Overall meh.
(2)
Marisol B.
My husband really enjoyed his Mongolian beef, I ordered a beef noodle soup but never actually got it. After asking for it again and seeing several people get theirs that had ordered after I had I decided it was time for us to leave. I really wanted to like this place but the service was bad.
(2)
bill h.
My wife, grandson and I visited the new Oak Park location last night. Parking was easy -and free after 6- in the lot a few doors west. We didn't have reservations, but were immediately seated in one of the booths. My wife was impressed with the upholstery choice. I was less impressed with the clearance between seat back and table edge, way too small for my ample- but not freakishly so- girth. The young ladies were prompt and helpful- in a language limited way- to take the order. Chengdu dumplings from the appetizer menu. Order of 10 with dipping sauce. 8 Pork and chive dumplings and 4 steamed juicy buns from the main menu. Green beans were ordered as an afterthought. WOW Oh, and a bowl of rice for the four year old. Food came fast, hot, delicious, and plentiful. We ended up taking 5 (of 18) dumplings and 1 (of 4) of the steamed buns, along with about 1/4 of the beans home. Definitely worth a repeat visit. Most of the minor quibbles go back to the poor functionality of the design left over from the now-defunct Hutong Cafe. Small booth space and no sound/echo/noise controls. The only other place for improvement would be to implement some organization on the waitstaff service. They were understaffed and disorganized, but trying VERY hard. I've never seen a waitress literally run back to the counter. All in all I will be back.
(4)
Kaz L.
I used to eat here a lot when it was Hutong, although the food was greasy but the favors were just right. So far I've been here twice ordered dumplings which was so soggy. The lettuce wrap has no flavor with big chunky meat pieces not anything I'd expect. We ordered miso soup for each of us, the waitress failed to mentioned that they're regular portion so we both got two big bowl of miso which didn't even taste like miso. That would be the last time we venture to this place.
(2)
Nick J.
It's a must go place if I ever go out of Chitown, I loved their hand made noodles and the authenticity of their Szechuan food. However last time I went there and didn't find the excellent taste for their spicy food, not sure if the change of chef. anyhow, it's still good enough for some real Sichuan but just won't go back as often as before.
(4)
K. E.
This place is weird but I'm definitely going to try it again and see what happens. The menu is enormous and really overwhelming, with very little description of any of the items. Next time I'm going to ask more questions. We tried some shrimp and chive dumplings which were delicious, a bowl of seafood noodle soup which was big enough for a family of four, and the shredded pancake with vegetables, unusual and really yummy (greasy though). I feel it's the kind of place you have to get your mind around over a few visits. The service was the big downer. It's set up for table service now (in a previous iteration there was ordering at the counter), but we had to ask for our tea three times, and in order to get a check and a container for our leftover soup, we had to get up from the table and find a server.
(3)
Neuman K.
They need to hire people who can communicate and can speak english. The dumplings were greasy and bland. They still have the old decor from Hutong and covered it with paper. They need to change the decor and not just cover the old decor with Japanese paper. The cumin beef was dry like beef jerky. I doubt this place will continue to operate in Oak Park. Hutong was better than this new place.
(2)
Dream T.
Like the beef noodle and dumpling here, for the beef noodle, it is still the best place outside the Chinatown, even in Chinatown, less than two places can compete with Katy's house
(4)
Al O.
Very good noodles, nicely spicy choices on widely varied menu, not just the normal Chinese restaurant. We'll be going back, often.
(5)
drew p.
Yum! We only do pick up,. The noodles are awesome as are the fennel dumplings.
(5)
Hillary P.
I wish I could actually comment about the food at Katy's, but my husband and I didn't make it that far. We were excited to try out this place since we are growing weary at the food options in Oak Park. Plus, they had me at hand-pulled noodles. We went around 1:00pm on Sunday afternoon...during a Bears game. Needless to say it wasn't very busy. It smelled amazing in there, so we couldn't wait to eat. The booths along the wall were full so there were about 4-5 tables filled. We were sat right away...and that.was.it . The menu is huge and we took our time going through it. Not once did a sever, host, anyone come over to us and bring us water, ask if we had questions or take our order. We even did the obligatory close the menu, look at each other and look around. On a few occasions, the server brought food to the booths that butted up next to our table but, even though we willed her to come visit us, she didn't. So...we had a decision to make. One I've only made once or twice, to leave or not to leave. We left and went to Munch and had an awesome lunch/brunch. Sorry Katy's, we won't be back.
(1)
Damian S.
Liked most things I've gotten, but do not get the beggars chicken, no flavor and dry, plus you need to be careful with the bones
(4)
Sal K.
After trying this place a couple more times: the dishes are often too sweet and the other vegetarian items on the menu are usually more disappointing than the Buddha's Delight and the Fried Rice.
(3)
Zac B.
i ordered takeout from this place. Mayo fried shrimp: no idea what that means but i got it and it was delicious. i also got various dumplings and noodles, all of which were awesome. chinese takout is pretty much the same everywhere but i give this place extra points because the food was still crispy and not a big sloppy mess of everything mixed together. Since i only order out from this place i have no idea how the service is but i can definatly see what other people are saying about bad service. For example, we called and placed our order, didn't take our name or phone number. When i showed up they asked for it but i said they never took it but luckily they had our food. however i could easily see that becoming a disaster. i will continue to order from here unless they screw up big time
(4)
J J.
the service was mediocre, at best, and it wasn't busy at all. we came here last week...my chicken dish was good, but the portion wasn't what I thought it'd be, relative to the other Katy's dumplings locations I've been to. also, they didn't have any lunch specials on a weekday, which I've always been accustomed to, during the week. that's why I chose to go, because I assumed that to always be the case. my last gripe is, their smoothies were gross...we were told they only had 2 kinds of smoothies the day we went, and they were complimentary... because it was their version of a lunch special I guess. in any event, they were way too sweet. it wasn't necessary to add a bunch of sugar and/or corn syrup, to an already sweet drink. mangos are already naturally sweet to begin with...so, i was looking forward to, what I thought would be a an all-natural, refreshing drink. it also, didn't even taste like real sugar, so we didn't even drink our smoothies. all in all, would not come back.
(2)
Lauren Q.
Delicious, and super quaint atmosphere. I told my hubby that I want my future home to look like e inside of this place someday. Food includes Chinese, Thai, Korean, and apparently even some Vietnamese- my dream restaurant! What we had was delicious. Laughed that they were playing Brazilian music in the background, but totally enjoyed it. Will love to go back.
(5)
Nanook B.
Was really hopeful for a delicious new Chinese resteraunt in the area. The decor caught my eye and lured me in ... Sorry to say the service is enough to scare you out! How do you say "rude" in Chinese? May be if I knew how to communicate better I would have gained an once of courtesy or respect. Katy's Dumpling house is serving up plenty of rudeness accompanied by a side of " No Service". I inquired about hosting a private event and the staff was of absolutely NO help. No catering information, not even a tip on how to proceed! I ordered two large dishes to go and received two packets of sweet and sour sauce and soy sauce. The best one was when I asked for a couple of more, you would have thought I had asked for a Kidney. The female waitress flung an extra two packets in my hand after mumbling of how she already put some in the bag with a complete attitude. I did notice a slight service difference to my Caucasian counterpart. At least they were greeted when they walked in the door. Do I sense racial undertones? If so, Katy's Dumpling House you picked the wrong location for Buisness as this is the heart of Oak Park!
(2)
Stella L.
Great noodle! Somewhat salty though
(4)
Jerome H.
Far and away the best Chinese in the Oak Park area. The Chengdu dumplings alone make any potential problem with the service manageable. Anything stir-fried is a win - green beans, eggplant, any dish with pork in it - all worth getting. Best items would be dried chili chicken and szechuan twice cooked pork, although we're still scouting the menu.
(5)
Melissah L.
When you come here, obviously get the dumplings and the noodles (it's a dumpling and noodle house, duh). Both are house-made and are fresh and delish! This location is right by my boyfriend's house in Oak Park, so I've been a handful of times and my favorites are: dan dan noodles shredded pancake beef noodle soup dumplings! (i've only tried pork and chive) The prices are pretty decent and the food great! If I lived closer it would be my go-to takeout place, wish they would open a restaurant in the city... (hint hint)!
(4)
Emma S.
The food is gross. Granted I didn't get the dumplings but It was so nasty and I would never go back! Also I asked the waiter if the use peanut oil and he was so confused I had to repeat myself at least 3x. I'm pretty sure there was a huge language barrier. I would not recommend!!
(1)
Sherry Y.
I adore Katy's, mostly because the noodles have this "QQ" chewy consistency I love and is pretty authentic. Noodles aside, I think some of the other dishes can be a bit overpriced, especially the dumplings. It seems a bit over the top, especially when I can make my own dumplings for mere dollars and achieve the same level of deliciousness for a more reasonable quantity. I recommend going with either the shredded pancake or a soup noodle dish as these offer more bang for your buck. Or more oodles of noodles? Whichever you prefer, you get more deliciousness! My favorite thing to get here has to be the beef noodle soup. While it is nothing like what you get in Taiwan (sorry Taiwanese friends and enthusiasts), this noodle soup is rich with beef stock, cilantro goodness and a generous douse of noodles in a huge bowl. While the stew is a bit on the salty side, the beef is always soft, melt-off-your-spoon amazing. Not to mention, the noodles are none too shabby, with just the right amount of chew and quite a resistance to sogginess. I also recommend the traditional Dan-Dan noodles or pork and pickled radish noodles. Both delicious as well, though a bit less spicy. Did you know that they're currently having a free smoothie with your main course during lunch? Love it, albeit the smoothies are less boba and more fruit freeze with sugar. Still, a great lunch combo to have with a hot bowl of noodles during the warmer months. I recommend a pass on the appetizers for the larger entrees and a complimentary smoothie. You won't regret a slurpy-noodle second of it.
(4)
Chika S.
I agree with other reviews about the strange covered up display menus on the wall... I've gone a few times for Sunday lunch and it is pretty deserted too. The decor is contemporary and nice, service decent... Noodles and dumplings amazing!!! This is one if those places you need to know what to order and stuck with it. We all (5 of us) didn't like the shrimp and lobster or the hot and sour soup... Too starchy and gelatinous. But the wonton soup, fried noodle dishes, and crispy duck were really good. Free smoothies @ Sunday lunch... gotta love That! If we have a couple more good dishes I'll bump up my rating to 4 stars.
I adore Katy's, mostly because the noodles have this "QQ" chewy consistency I love and is pretty authentic. Noodles aside, I think some of the other dishes can be a bit overpriced, especially the dumplings. It seems a bit over the top, especially when I can make my own dumplings for mere dollars and achieve the same level of deliciousness for a more reasonable quantity. I recommend going with either the shredded pancake or a soup noodle dish as these offer more bang for your buck. Or more oodles of noodles? Whichever you prefer, you get more deliciousness! My favorite thing to get here has to be the beef noodle soup. While it is nothing like what you get in Taiwan (sorry Taiwanese friends and enthusiasts), this noodle soup is rich with beef stock, cilantro goodness and a generous douse of noodles in a huge bowl. While the stew is a bit on the salty side, the beef is always soft, melt-off-your-spoon amazing. Not to mention, the noodles are none too shabby, with just the right amount of chew and quite a resistance to sogginess. I also recommend the traditional Dan-Dan noodles or pork and pickled radish noodles. Both delicious as well, though a bit less spicy. Did you know that they're currently having a free smoothie with your main course during lunch? Love it, albeit the smoothies are less boba and more fruit freeze with sugar. Still, a great lunch combo to have with a hot bowl of noodles during the warmer months. I recommend a pass on the appetizers for the larger entrees and a complimentary smoothie. You won't regret a slurpy-noodle second of it.
(4)
Chris G.
I wanted to like this place. But definitely a disappointment. The dumpling were definitely homemade but the filling was poor quality and had a bit of a funk. The soup noodles were also bland and watered down. Tasted just like water and soy. Would be better with a homemade stock. Definitely can find better.
(1)
Emily P.
So, I doubt this is very good Chinese food with the exception of the dumplings and hand-pulled noodles. But we like it for a guilty pleasure. I do recommend the dumplings highly. Service is mostly friendly but barely competent. We've experienced missing entrees and disappearing waitresses.
(3)
Joshua N.
I'm saddened to not be able to give a better review to Katy's Dumpling House. This restaurant brings a highly specialized ethnic authenticity that Oak Park almost never sees. The Szechwan dishes, when prepared correctly, are some of the most accurate and palate pleasing you'll find outside of Chinatown. And "when prepared correctly" is the key here. After several visits, I still cannot believe how hit and miss the menu is. Some appetizers are good enough and some are amazing. Entrees range from terrible to kind of good. And the Szechwan specialities are either amazing, or... not quite right. Everything is so random. Examples: * The General Tao's chicken is very good. You wouldn't normally want to order such a common dish in a specialized Chinese restaurant such as this one, but it's what they are good at. * Yu Xiang Eggplant: This basic staple of Szechwan and Hunan is completely phoned in. The eggplant is too coarsely cut, and there's a complete lack of garlic sauce. China should sue this place for even using the term "yu xiang" so inaccurately. * The worst offender: the duck. Instead of being roasted in the Chinese tradition, it's *deep fried*. The result is so disgusting, my friends and I couldn't finish it. I don't think I've ever left duck on the plate before. * Hui Guo Rou (twice cooked pork) was the least authentic dish I've seen in ANY Chinese restaurant in a long time. Popular in mandarin restaurants around the world, this dish is so easy to make any beginner Chinese chef could pull it off. But what we got at our table recently was 1/4 cup of kind of rough shredded beef, topped with mounds and mounds of sliced leeks. And lots of salt. * The tripe and tendon appetizers were nearly perfect. Excellent examples of Szechwan dishes done right. Why can't the rest of the menu be prepared this well? Also, the service for dine-in is particularly unreliable. I've had the wrong order brought to me in the past, and on my last visit the wait staff just completely forgot to put in our second round of food orders -- without any apology or even a resigned shrug. If only there were a definitive guide as to what menu items are good and what are failures, I would go here more often, and perhaps award a higher review. One of my friends suggested that dishes with pre-made sauces tended to be better. I may go back at some point to test this theory.
(2)
Annette A.
Their food can be great or just okay, I guess it depends on who their chef is or if they have the time to put in the effort. I ordered delivery today, and the food was good, we had dumplings and buns. But we ordered a smoothie with tapioca pearls, and they were hard on the inside. The smoothie tasted okay, I probably should have ordered mango instead of the strawberry, but again difficult to eat with tough tapioca.
(3)
Amanda R.
I just moved to the area a couple months ago and Katy's is already one of my favorite places to eat. The dumplings are so good (I recommend the Chengdu and the Triple) and very reasonably priced (two people can eat here for under $30 quite easily). They do a lunch special where you get a free smoothie with your entree... the smoothies are very good, too. There are only a couple things that I don't really care for: - There is not a very good selection of drinks - the iced tea is pretty bad - They only give you one fortune cookie at the end of your meal even if there's two people at your table Improve these things and it'll be 5 stars all the way!!!
(4)
Bo Y.
I live in oak park and katys is my go to for Chinese food in the area. Nothing else around oak park is even close, so if I don't have time to go to Chinatown katys gets the job done. The food is pretty good, though sometimes inconsistent-must be different chefs cooking the food. My favorite dishes are: shrimp with egg yolk pasted around 15 extra large shrimp shell on coated with egg yolk-Very authentic. Very delicious. Three chili fish very good though sometimes inconsistent. If it were slightly less oily I'd enjoy it more Fried rice- we ask for curry to be added to the fired rice for a Singaporean style. It's very good. Get the combo. The beef chicken and shrimp were all cooked very well. Large portions! Price is very fair, though attentiveness is sometimes not there regarding service service. Overall 4/5.
(4)
Eric S.
Good spot for Chinese in Oak Park, whether you're dining in or carrying out. Katy's House 'o' Dumplings has consistently delivered on their food and friendliness, and I'm a fan of their decor. I want to note, though, that when they underwent a name/ownership change, the old restaurant title was still visible in places, so they plastered takeout menus to cover it up. A little goofy and tacky, but the awesome hanging paper lanterns and fishtank atone for this. Egg drop soup is good, but it's made with corn (wtf). The very first time I got it, I angrily thought out loud "who put corn in my soup?", Googled why this happened, and realized that something like 1 out of 10 places do this. Allllllrighty then. Crab rangoons are tasty, potstickers aren't bad, service over the phone is typically polite and relatively easy to understand. Most of their stuff is a decent value, although the kung pao chicken entree is considerably light on the chicken, heavy on the green peppers and peapods. Their take-home containers are terrific! I've probably accumulated 50 of them in the past year and a half. Best thing about this place? The terra cotta warrior standing guard at the entrance. Santa, if you're reading this, I want one of those larger-than-life statues for christmas this year. I've been a good boy......sort of.
(4)
Rui C.
Hands down the best Chinese food in & around Oak Park. I moved to OP 6 months ago from southern California (aka, land of great Chinese food) and had trouble finding delicious & authentic Chinese food here. A friend of mine suggested Luo's, man oh man what a mistake that was! After being burned by Luo's, I was hesitant to try Katy's but a girl needs her beef noodle soup! Thank goodness Katy's did not let me down! All the dishes I've ordered from here so far tasted authentic and great, but a bit too salty. I recommend the beef noodle soup, the szechuan boiled fish, the stir fried hand pulled noodles with veggies, the cumin lamb, and the shiao long bao. The service here has been pretty good and consistent, so nothing to complain about. I will definitely be back & getting deliveries once it gets to be too cold to go outside.
(4)
Shamoon K.
I got takeout from here over the weekend and was happy about one dish and disappointed about the others. Not one dish was bad though, just not anything good. First we got the Chengdu Dumplings with shrimp and they were ok. I was looking forward to this dish the most because with a name like Katy's Dumpling House, I thought that they would be amazing. Turns out they weren't. They were just standard normal fare dumplings. Next came the Cantonese Chicken Fried Noodles. The chicken was just boiled with no seasoning or sauce and just plopped on top of everything. Pretty bad. The rest of the dish was fine though. Lastly, we got the beef noodle soup. Which was great. The noodles were easily the highlight of the dish. Nice and chewy and think. Really soaked up the broth too. The beef pieces though, were extremely fatty and gelatinous so that sucked. Its not like I was unhappy with the overall food, just disappointed. I'll be trying other places from now on.
(3)
Aimee M.
During my early days on Yelp, I jumped on the Katy's bandwagon when they just had the spot in Westmont. Now there are three locations. Since I frequent Oak Park regularly, I was hoping some of Katy's noodle magic found it's way to their OP location. The first time I visited we ordered take out--pork/chive potstickers and pan fried noodles with shrimp. Even after a 20 min drive home everything was still hot and delicious. The potstickers were plump and tasty, the wrapping slightly firm but not mushy at all. The noodle dish was flavorful, perfect texture, nice chew, not mushy either. The most recent time I dined solo for lunch and just wanted soup. I was the only one there which was fine so I could slurp away as loudly as I wanted. I didn't of course but the soup was mighty tasty. I ordered the Xiao Long Bao (Juicy steam buns) and an order of beef noodle soup. I recently had my first taste of XLB in HK and I became an instant fan so I'm trying to find places in Chicagoland that have them. Here's my tip: don't order them here. They were so gross. They weren't well made, the wrapping didn't hold up so all the "soup" ran out of it. The filling was mushy and didn't seemed cooked well enough. yuck. If I had to rate Katy's on the XLB alone it would get one star. But my past take out orders and their soup is really what saves them. The Beef Noodle soup was excellent. So many layers of flavor. There's cumin, then garlic and the heat of the chili just warms you up all over. The meat is tender and cooked well and the noodles--well the noodles were perfect. Service has always been friendly. I forgot my cellphone here and they even ran out to try to catch me.
(4)
Lizzy C.
Not as good as Chinatown restaurants but good enough for a quick Asian style lunch. Beef noodle is the best if less salty.
(4)
Craig S.
Second attempt at trying to eat at 8:30. Failed completely. If you stop seating early, note that on your hours. Don't say you're open until 9 if you aren't. I miss the old place before it became this travesty. I understand that the people that work there need to clean up and get home. That's not my point. My point is that if you stop seating people before 8:30, why on earth do you advertise your hours as 9? Say you close at 8:30, problem solved.
(1)
Kathy S.
Been here a couple times - once picking up and another time for dine in. I prefer the Katy's in Westmont a lot more. Last time I went, the Chengdu dumplings and pork & chive potstickers were good but the other two items we tried were not so great. I prefer saltier foods but the dan dan noodles were waaay too salty. I actually ate the noodles with potstickers that I didn't dip in sauce to balance it out. I had the noodles at the other location and it was much better. The beef & scallion potstickers were underwhelming as well...reminded me more of an empanada due to the shredded beef and it was just odd (to me). Service is close to non-existent. We just flagged down the server to order, get refills, etc. He and two other employees were sitting in one of the booths playing on their laptop/tablets. Last thing to note. The time we did get pickup from them, one of the potstickers had a tiny metal ring embedded into it. If we didn't see it when we were eating, one of us could have easily choked on it.
(1)
Monica S.
The restaurant at the Oak Park location takes the cake for being the most modernized Katy's Dumpling House chain. It doesn't feel as homey as the Westmont or Naperville locations, nor is the bathroom awkwardly situated in the back of the kitchen like at the Westmont location. However, my food was only decent. I ordered a vegetarian chow fun, which turned out to be somewhat mushy. The pancakes were slightly more oily than I expected. My friend ordered the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) which were soggier than usual; in fact, one ripped open in the bamboo steaming basket. Our waiter did give consistent water refills but failed to clean up spilled water on the floor next to my table. Someone could slip from the puddle! Overall, if you want to visit a more upscale Chinese place but can settle for average Chinese food and okay service, then Katy's Dumpling House is a decent option. Otherwise, I'd go to the other 2 locations.
(3)
Scott S.
Everything was so fresh and Delilah. The fried noodles are hand pulled. Scallion pancakes on the way. I could eat here once a week happily and keep exploring the menu
(5)
Jackie W.
My husband is obsessed with this place. Honestly, I don't like any Chinese cuisine really but this place we frequent and I actually really enjoy it. Their ingredients are super fresh, the meals are seasoned perfectly and their interior of the space is lovely. They allow you to BYOB but we've never done it, usually we go for lunch - I keep reminding us to try drinks for dinner :) Our kiddos really like it too, and they seem to be patient enough with them. Which is super important to us. I recommend the fried noodles and the dumplings with chicken and bok choy are amazing.
(5)
Jo B.
Underwhelming, given the high hopes I had for Katy's. We ordered sesame chicken, pot stickers, and crab Rangoon. The Rangoon is the only thing I would order again. Nothing was bad, but everything was just bland. I will stick to my usual Chinese place.
(3)
Darci A.
Takeout- phone order: I had tried to explain what I wanted because there are so many items on the menu and none that I could find to match the yummy yelp pics I'd seen... so I ordered the "pan fried noodles with beef and extra vegetables". I was almost given fried rice but luckily I corrected the order that was read back to me. The food was ready in 10 minutes and it was really good, however a bit oily for my taste and I didn't get any veggies in the meal. The egg rolls were really good. I would definitely eat here again, I just need to figure out how to order. I wish the menu had better descriptions for newbs like me! I also tried to go back around 9:30 with a friend and the kitchen had closed...I hate people who come late too but I was under the impression the kitchen was open til 10 on Fridays. If you want to order food be sure to get there at least an hour before the kitchen closes I guess.
Great local asian cuisine. We followed the consensus by going with the shrimp and chive dumplings and they did not disappoint... delicious! We also went with the sesame chicken which was among the best we've had. Beef and broccoli was a good dish (typical beef and broccoli), the pork and chive dumplings were good as well. We have dined in and taken out. Eating in is nice, the place is clean and updated, service was great. They do have old menus on the wall sort of half assedly covered up from what I assume to be a prior establishment which was a little funky, but harmless. We've also ordered delivery, which was quick and the food was hot.
(5)
Christine D.
We love Katy's food and either eat in or order out at least once a month. We have made it a goal to try different things each time since the menu is so eclectic and "pan" Asian. Nothing else in OP compares to quality of food hands down. only issue is that the service can be very inconsistent. I think that 50% of the time we have what I would call acceptable service. I now know what to expect so I "manage" the service in my own way - by ordering everything at once, by telling them to bring me the bill when they are serving the food, etc. On carryout orders, do not expect food to be ready until at least twice as long as they tell you on the phone. 10 min=20 min etc. and you must open up your bag and check that they got it right and didn't forget anything. one funny/strange incident - we ordered beef tendon appetizer which my husband learned to like from having Korean college roommates. The waiter brought it to our table and was about to set it down, then did an abrupt about face and took it to another table occupied by Asian customers. They told him that they didn't order it and he consulted his paper and sheepishly brought it back to our table, with the comment, "I didn't think white people would order this." we got a kick out of it but it was not something he should have said out loud!
(4)
Michelle L.
I'm upset about the review I have to write on this place. I have been here a bunch of times, and they have AWESOME dumplings (chengdu are my fav) however, the last few times I've come the service has gotten worse and worse. They have never had outstanding service, but it was okay enough that I didn't feel negative about it. The last time my boyfriend and I came in he ordered the 3 Chili Chicken. They made a mistake and brought him 3 Cups Chicken. Our waiter did apologize, but instead of offering to get him the correct dish, he said "just try it, you will like it". He didn't like it, and we came to find later on our bill that it's more expensive than the original dish he wanted. Okay, so we love the dumplings enough that we decide we can go back, we just have to be clearer when we order. So we went today and first off our waitress was wearing a winter peacoat and scarf, completely unprofessional (and its June?) and we were the only customers in there. Then they forgot about our dumplings, that we ordered as an appetizer, so I kindly reminded her, after calling out to get her attention, and we got them after our entrees came out. She did not bother to check on us once, and did not refill my water until we paid the bill. While we ate our meal, there were two other servers present, sitting in a booth with her having social hour, their phone kept ringing and no one got to it with any urgency. I'm just really disappointed because their dumplings as I said are great, and they're really cheap and BYOB, but I will never eat in there again. There's still a shred of hope for carry out, but I'm not even sure about that.
(2)
Katie C.
Not just another Chinese restaurant. They offer Korean dishes and what looks like Thai dishes to me. I had the Buddha vegie dinner with rice and the vegetables were the freshest I've ever had. And those shitake mushrooms were out of this world! My new go to for Asian cuisine!
(5)
Tamera B.
So, I had lunch here and it was just ok. The food was tasty, but portions small and service lacking. I tried the Mongolian Beef and wonton soup. I dined alone and there we only 2-3 more parties in the restaurant, but my server kept getting lost for long periods of time. So I had to ask for my water to be refilled a couple of times and ask for my check. I observed my server sitting at a booth in the back of the restaurant looking at a laptop, laughing, and having a jovial time with another worker much of time. So, I had to just ask anyone that I saw walking by when I needed something. The Mongolian Beef and soup were both good, but due to the service mishaps, I probably won't stop by this place again.
I really enjoyed the food here. Everything was tasty and fresh. We ordered: scallion pancakes, shrimp and chive pot stickers, orange chicken, and Singapore noodles. The restaurant itself is nice as well and our server was friendly. I would recommend it for sure.
(4)
James B.
We moved to Oak Park a year ago and are still searching for a go-to Chinese restaurant. Katy's was the next on our list, and unfortunately - our search continues. To summarize our food experience- Egg rolls: DONT ORDER. They just have the generic frozen ones that they buy by the box and warm up for you. They do not make homemade egg rolls. If you like these cabbage-only egg rolls go to Costco and buy 100 of them for $3.29. At Katy's you get 2 for $2.50. Pot Stickers: They allegedly specialize in these (and dumplings). They weren't bad, but they didn't blow me away. They are pot stickers, nothing more. Sesame Chicken. The meat itself wasn't bad, but it was a run-of-the-mill dish you could achieve at Panda Express. Pan fried noodles with pork. Not bad .. lots more sauce than meat. All in all it was all just very average. But it definitely wasn't cheap. I like the online ordering but I don't like the $3.50 delivery charge ... Unless you live within walking distance of the restaurant you're gonna get charged this.. I live 1.1 miles away and apparently that 4 minute drive warrants a delivery charge.
(2)
Laurie B.
This review is for service (or lack there of) during our recent visit. The food was great. The service was not at all friendly. Today for my family's visit, our server never smiled, greeted us or even made eye contact with us. Our food was great--Dan Dan noodle rocks as did the pickled cabbage pork noodle soup. We had to flag someone down for water. There was zero interaction during our meal. I generally don't like being interrupted, but this was extreme. When we were finished eating, our server never looked at us or thanked us for coming. We paid and even left a decent tip--I'm regretting that decision as she did not deserve it and certainly was not grateful.
It says Katy's Dumpling House on the outside of the building and Hutong Cafe on the inside. Either way, I'm eating here again. The noodle is such an integral part of Asian cuisine and the fact that they hand stretch their noodles daily and make fresh dumplings daily is a huge plus! Massive respect from me. We got the boiled pork and bok choy dumplings and they were delicious. I got the chenghu Dan Dan noodles that was a sure winner with its spice level and baby bok choy. My wife got the chicken fried noodles. She added sriracha to it because we are spice junkies, but I tried a bite before she put it on and it had a beautifully subtle flavor. If you don't like spice, but you want a good authentic fried noodle dish, this simple one will do. The service wasn't fantastic, but it was towards the end of the night and they were still super sweet. And the food was great. They deliver too. Plus!
(4)
Maggie G.
The food here is pretty good, satisfies a Chinese food craving. No liquor license at the Oak Park location so don't order something so spicy a Tsingtao beer is required.
(3)
Melissah L.
When you come here, obviously get the dumplings and the noodles (it's a dumpling and noodle house, duh). Both are house-made and are fresh and delish! This location is right by my boyfriend's house in Oak Park, so I've been a handful of times and my favorites are: dan dan noodles shredded pancake beef noodle soup dumplings! (i've only tried pork and chive) The prices are pretty decent and the food great! If I lived closer it would be my go-to takeout place, wish they would open a restaurant in the city... (hint hint)!
(4)
Emma S.
The food is gross. Granted I didn't get the dumplings but It was so nasty and I would never go back! Also I asked the waiter if the use peanut oil and he was so confused I had to repeat myself at least 3x. I'm pretty sure there was a huge language barrier. I would not recommend!!
(1)
Weisun C.
A late lunch on a weekday was my first visit here with a veteran customer. While I'm familar with steamed or deep-fried dumplings (Cantonese "gui loam") or pan-fried pot stickers, my first boiled dumplings would be at this Katy's, within view of the famed Lake Theater. The cock's-comb-shaped pouches were made from a rather thick sheet of dough. The texture reminded me of Polish perogis, which are also boiled. Ours were the shrimp and chive variety (8 to the order). The dipping soy-based sauce is definitely recommended. We split two main dishes, a relatively mild "Stir-fried Shredded Pancake" with chicken, and a fiery hot "Chengdu Dan Dan Noodle." Both hold surprises for even careful menu readers. Since there is no whole pancake with that first dish, what you get is the pancake cut into long strips. The noodle dish from the Sichuan region of China is super spicy owing to the chili oil and Sichuan peppers (mainly the seeds) used. It's listed on the menu under the grouping, "Noodle Soup," but there is no soup involved. Both go well with the steamed white rice. But the Dan Dan Noodles you have to be prepared for! There is also minced pork under those spicy noodles. Both dishes were finely executed and well presented. Lots more here to return for (an 8-panel menu full of tempting items). Besides Chinese items, there are Korean and Thai dishes. Lots of items "in Chengdu Style" too. The spicy/peppery items are shown with little pepper symbols of warning. To slake those fiery tastes, they offer fruity smoothies and ice cream. Despite their name, Katy's main specialty is their handmade noodles.
(4)
JS T.
We always go to the original Westmont location, which is where everything is made (noodles, dumplings, etc.) Unfortunately, we had a craving on a Monday, and the Naperville and Westmont locations were closed. A bit disappointing. A few thoughts: 1. The noodles are still as a good as the original. Very chewy, cooked perfectly, and I felt the portion was about the same, but my husband thought it was less than the Westmont location. 2. They water down the beef soup (much more potent at Westmont) and I think they add MSG because I was pretty thirsty afterwards. They also put chopped raw garlic in the soup, which is weird because it's supposed to be fried or at least cooked down a bit. 3. Generally I don't expect much with service at a Chinese restaurant, but it was pretty poor since we showed up on at 2:00 in the afternoon and the hostess/waitress was leisurely cutting green beans and chatting with her friend while the one server had to take our order and clear the 5-6 tables that needed to be bussed. I felt bad for him. The unbussed tables also made the restaurant feel kind of grungy. 4. Prices are more expensive than Westmont, though I expect because renting the space is more (Westmont is more hole in the wall interior). Final conclusions: Probably won't return to this location unless I'm craving the noodles (really can't find anything as good anywhere else) and it's a Monday. Otherwise, I'm better off waiting to go to the original.
(3)
Sarah S.
Had to add an update to my last review since we have tried the delivery service several times now. Would NOT recommend using delivery from here. Despite living less than 5 miles away it has never taken less than an hour to receive the delivery. The last time it took nearly 2 hours, which was the last straw. I will still go to Katy's to dine in, as it is still by far the best Chinese food in Oak Park. I will no longer use the delivery option.
(5)
Kelsey H.
It was the attractive decor that drew my husband and I in on a cold afternoon of Christmas shopping..... Sadly, it was the former Hutong's tasteful decor and not Katy's. In fact, the only changes they made was taping their take-out menu over anything that said "Hutong" or pieces of paper that said "Katy's Dumpling House." Then of course, you finally realize that the pictures of yummy food are Hutong's too! Classy. Service was spotty. We were seated and brought water, no straws. We sat and sat and watched different people walk past before someone finally stopped to get our order. Our waiter never introduced himself or anything. Many times we waited and waited to get our waters refilled. We shared crab rangoons which were really good. The dipping sauce they bring out (spicy mustard and sweet and sour) were both pretty spicy but came out in little jars that are obviously shared among many many people. And everyones using the same little spoon to put on their food... We also shared shrimp and chive steamed buns and chicken shredded pancake. The steamed buns were..okay... The bun itself was good but it was literally just straight shredded chives and a piece of shrimp. Way too much chive. And I really like chives! The shredded pancake was really good but the chicken made it inedible. It was clearly cooked days ago and then microwaved and it just had that awful microwave taste... We couldn't eat it. I did pick out pieces of the pancake that was good though. Won't be back.
(2)
Robby K.
A great place for warm soup on a cold winter night. Go in there with a game plan such as splitting a spicy Korean beef and tofu soup and sharing 2 orders of dumplings (as we did). I preferred the pork chive pot sticker. The gf liked shrimp and chive boiled dumplings better. FYI dumplings and pot stickers are the same things :) I'm excited to go back for bao buns and traditional duck vermacelli among other duck options. We'll definitely be back a ton and will grab carry out occasionally. Why 4 stars? Because I am still not sure if they serve alcohol, or if they byob? They had wine glasses behind the cashier.. After dining in, taking a menu home, I still dont know their booze sitch.
(4)
Jess C.
I'm all about the noodle and this place delivers just that! I've had the steamed dumplings to Dan Dan noodles to pad Thai to the beef noodle soup. And I recommend them all! My only beef with them is their service is slow but friendly. Parking is close by right next to Pier One.
(4)
Matt M.
I'll preface my review with - I am not the biggest dumpling person in the world. But the dumplings here are good enough to make any person who is luke warm on dumpling satisfied and often makes you crave them later. The only downside seems to be the other food. And by downside I mean average. It would serve them well to take the next step and make the quality of their non-dumpling focused foods and make them as awesome as dumplings.
(4)
Linda B.
Have had delivery here a few times, no problem. Tonite, the receipt had been stapled to the wrong order. Seems to be cleared up..they actually picked it back up...and are sending out the correct order. BUT no credit/ discount for the fact we had to eat two hours late or for the hassle. My husband asked and was told to mention it next time and we will get free appetizers. As if there will be a next time! Zilch customer service Post script...got our order, no rice for one of the dishes!!! Awful
(1)
Holly A.
I'm so confused by the low ratings. This is my favorite restaurant of any kind in Oak Park, and the solid quality + large menu gives me lots of reasons to keep coming back. As others have said, the noodles are handmade and really special compared to other restaurants' noodle dishes. Some of my other favorites: * Dumplings of any kind -- they're handmade and awesome. * Three-chili chicken -- like little bits of sweet, spicy boneless fried chicken. * Yushan eggplant -- there aren't a lot of vegetable dishes on the menu, but this one makes up for it. * Cucumber with garlic -- served cold, a great appetizer. I'm sure there are lots more winners. I promise to keep trying new ones to see.
(5)
Deena H.
Vegetable Fried rice is really good and had whole pieces of broccoli and pea pods. The Orange chicken was not good in my opinion but the general tsaos was really good and spicy too. Crab Rangoon is average. They don't give enough sauce with delivery so remember to ask them in advance.
(3)
Char Y.
the food quality varies depends on the day. the beef noodle soup is always solid, although the meat quantity has definitely gone down through the years. the other dishes are questionable at best due to quantity and taste. the dumplings are still great!
(3)
Sol A.
Walked in late one evening about 9pm. Even though they were cleaning up to close they never hurried us. Not only was the food was wonderful the service was good as well. Their veggie dishes are so creative and the flavors were excellent. We of course had to try the dumplings. They're huge and tasty. Every time I've eaten here the food has been spot on. Good choice if you're in the mood for something different. Stop in. They wouldn't disappoint.
(3)
Katherine M.
I have ordered from here so many times and its been great. Last night ruined it. I always order extra sauce with my dumplings and crab Rangoon. However, last night I wasn't even given one. Not even the packets. There were two, yes two soy sauce packets in the bag for a decent sized order. Seriously ? Oh, and the sweet and sour chicken was so soggy it was inedible. What a waste of money !!!!
(1)
Yvonne B.
Super cute and comfortable interior design. I've never seen anyone at the host(ess) station up front so it's really not clear what to do. The primary server man is a sweetie but struggles with understanding and speaking English. The food is good, but some dishes are standouts: - Pork & Chives Dumplings - Orange Chicken - Sesame Chicken - Three Chili (Chicken) - Smoothies M thinks they charged $9 for my smoothie. It was HUGE, but it was only supposed to be $4. Don't know if M was mistaken or what. Just keep an eye out. Oh - they're BYOB which is important because they really don't have a lot in the way of beverages. Like, they have pop, water, and smoothies.
(4)
Timothy T.
Very good Chinese food, possibly no MSG. Fresh tasting, lean meats and very good veggies. Inside scoop: The best mango shake I've had in a few years (since being on a mango farm in SE Asia). Sit back, relax and enjoy. Oh, and say hi to the replica terra cotta statue for me (photo op!)
(5)
Tzeittle C.
Great service and okay food. We got the scallion and shrimp dumplings and they tasted good but we're a little "too wet" for my liking. The strawberry smoothie was great, though!
(3)
claire r.
Terrible delivery service! We just ordered. It took over an hour and a half to come to our house. I called twice. The first time they said the driver was out with our food. Called 20 mins later to cancel my order since it still hadn't arrived and was told bc it was out with the driver that they couldn't refund. They said the driver left 30 MINUTES AGO and they would call and have him 'go to our house first'. Umm it was already sitting in the car for at least 30 mins! The food did arrive. It was fine. The pot stickers were terrible - perhaps because they sat for god knows how long. So, so frustrating. How can a restaurant not have figured out how to deliver promptly.
(1)
Jomel R.
Best word to describe the food here is greasy. The beef noodle soup has a thick layer of oil, the salt and pepper crispy tofu is served sitting in oil, and the Mongolian beef is made with a sauce that's mostly oil. Second best word would be bland. I've given this place way too many chances just because it's a few blocks away, but the food is just not good and is pricey for the portions they give. I'd rather go to panda express.
(1)
Rees S.
This place has pretty quickly become a standby in our family repertoire for dining out locally. Everything we have tried has been decent, but the standout items we keep ordering are the green curry shrimp with green beans and broccoli, the kung pao chicken and the three cups chicken, which my teenage son cannot get enough of. We usually get dumplings and pot stickers as appetizers. The service is cheerful and pleasant and this is a good choice for a family dinner out that doesn't break the bank.
(4)
David S.
Couldn't stand Hutong, the MIL suggested that now it was full-on Katy's it was better - she was right! Excellent Chicken Chow Fun and the spicy Fried Tofu. The dumplings we had were a bit mushy, sitting in a sad little pool of water in the dish. I still gave it 4 stars because it is the best Chinese in Oak Park! Probably will just use for delivery from now on, but glad it's here!
(4)
Janet J.
A take out order, and maybe we should have tried the dumplings at Katy's Dumpling House. Our appetizers were quite good. We had egg rolls and pot stickers. Our entrees (ginger shredded duck and garlic black pepper beef) were way too salty and we wound up throwing them out. Many better Chinese food options in Oak Park.
(2)
Labor U.
Traveling salesman eat all over the country. For what I got and what I paid unbalanced. Fast food in a nice neighborhood. Average to fair food. ordered the noodle soup. Nice sesame taste 3 shrimp in a huge bowl of noodles. Like the noodles just not so much. Hope you enjoy more than I did.
(3)
Carmen A.
First time here. Through yelps tips I had the homemade noodles and alot of other food items. We were pleasantly surprised. Everything was great and flavorful. We will definetly be back again.
(4)
Joshua H.
Whenever I directly pick out a place to eat, we always end up not enjoying it. I'm sad to note that Katy's was no exception to this rule. I was initially attracted to this place by the name and how the building looked. Based on the decor it looked like a really nice, modern Asian restaurant. After we got inside and looked around it quickly became apparent that the decor belonged the restaurant that was there prior, Hutong. You could tell because there were pieces of white paper with "KATY'S DUMPLING HOUSE" written in sharpie plastered over every sign where "Hutong" had been written prior. We were seated quickly enough, but it seriously took around 15 minutes for someone to bring us water and take our order. That's with them walking past our table 4-5 times. It wasn't like the place was packed. We were seated behind the only other people there. Coming to a dumpling house we decided we should probably try the dumplings. So along with our staple of crab rangoon we got shrimp and chive dumplings and something called a chicken stir-fried shredded pancake. The crab rangoon came out right away and was good. The cream cheese inside wasn't overly sugared or anything and the crab meat was actually real crab and not the imitation stuff. It was all fried perfectly too. They brought with it two sauce dishes, one was sweet and sour and the other was soy sauce. I thought the sweet and sour sauce was really good and had a nice little kick to it. Next came the dumplings. The dumplings honestly were just straight salad shrimp stuffed into a wonton wrapper with a like a billion chives. They didn't really have any seasoning to them. The flavor wasn't bad, I just expected a bit more. The last thing to come out was our chicken stir-fried shredded pancake. The vegetables inside were good, as was the shredded pancake. If you ate those individually you were in the clear. The chicken however is a whole different story. It just tasted like a mixture between freezer burn and extreme microwave. I'm someone who will cook a plain chicken breast in the oven and then microwave it for lunch the next day, and I thought it was too microwaved. I don't really know how to conclude this review. I really couldn't find much to redeem this place. It's not somewhere I'd go again.
(1)
Thomas C.
Really would give it 4 1/2 stars. There are some pretty decent Chinese spots in Oak Park, North star being the most notable, but had always wanted to check out Katy's other location because we love dumplings/potstickers. So on a whim on a sunday decided to get carry out and we were not disappointed. We tried the Fish and pork and chive potstickers, DELICIOUS. Mongolian Beef was the best I've had, and we tried the chicken cantonese noodles which were as good as everything else. Next we will dine in, but great first impression.
(4)
Simon R.
We are frequent flyers in this restaurant and like the food ( 4 stars for the food itself ). The problem are the bathrooms - they are filthy even when the restaurant opens. There is simply no excuse for overflowing garbage cans at the start of the business day. ZERO stars for bathroom cleanliness. Let's hope that the state of the bathrooms is not duplicated in the kitchen....which is just across a narrow hallway from the bathrooms.....
(2)
Uriel B.
I called this place as soon as I was off work. I figured the food would be there by the time I got home. I almost always give restaurants a good chance at proving me wrong even when I am a bit picky. I got home and still waited up to an hour and a half after I had ordered. I live less than 4 blocks away. I called and asked what was taking so long, being that I live pretty close. I was put on hold for a couple of minutes while they discussed calling the delivery driver. After a while. I was hung up on. I called back immediately and asked again what the situation was. "10 minutes, driver is down the street". I called back after 10 minutes and the people answering the phone put the phone down argued that the order had not even been made and hung up. I called back. Cancelled the order. So I ordered from elsewhere. 20 minutes later the driver calls and says he is outside. This is the worst communication I have ever had with a restaurant so close. As stated by other reviewers, the service is horrible.
(1)
Rose C.
Finally tried the actual restaurant. The two stars are for the beautiful interior. The cheap-o covering of the former "Hutongs" name everywhere is well, funny, but at the same time incredibly unprofessional, and reflects badly on the newer owners. I mean, taped up, hand written Katy's Dumplings over all the very professionally done signs? In such a beautiful space? I kind of prefer the hole-in-the-wall Katy's in Westmont, at least it is very clear that decor is not what the place is about. Still, I looked forward to my lunch. It was a hot day, so I didn't have my usual beef tendon noodle soup. Instead, I had beef stir fry. Sadly, it was impossibly oily, super sweet, and otherwise bland and tasteless. The dish I ordered was supposed to be a spicy dish. The texture of the noodles was great, though, as always, I loved the noodles. Not thinking I'll be back, but I'll go out to Westmont for sure, even though the OP location is certainly much closer and very beautiful.
(2)
Jackie K.
Had a great date night out with my husband here this past weekend. The food was amazing and I highly recommend their hand pulled noodles - delicious. The BYOB we should have planned for but either way we'll be back and ready. Good for dates, family friendly and friends - huge menu, too.
(5)
Dream T.
Like the beef noodle and dumpling here, for the beef noodle, it is still the best place outside the Chinatown, even in Chinatown, less than two places can compete with Katy's house
(4)
Al O.
Very good noodles, nicely spicy choices on widely varied menu, not just the normal Chinese restaurant. We'll be going back, often.
(5)
drew p.
Yum! We only do pick up,. The noodles are awesome as are the fennel dumplings.
(5)
Izzy N.
I've been meaning to try Katy's dumplings for a couple years now so I'm glad to see there's a new location in oak park. Behold: bouncy, nicely seasoned noodles with a slight chew. How noodles are meant to be. With just enough vegetables and plump shrimp. Spoon on generous amounts of chili oil/paste... Delicious. Fucking. Delicious. They made for good left overs too! We had the shredded pancakes also and they were fantastic. Nice little wok char marks. Pour on some chili oil and it's perfect. I would get those two again immediately. It was a great meal but noooooo I made sure we rounded out the meal with a couple more dishes for good measure. We also had their salt and pepper squid which was barely average at best- I wouldn't get that again- I've yet to find any place in the midwest that can do that dish any justice but their chive and shrimp dumplings were pretty good. You can get them steamed or fried potsticker style and we opted for the potstickers. Hello, fried.. that's music to my ears! They're plump but watch out, they're really juicey and a good amount of broth from the filling would squirt out and these weren't even the soup dumplings. Dip it in their vinegary soy dipping sauce and add in a heaping spoonful of chili oil.. you're golden. I was pretty happy with our meal- for the first time in a long time I didn't feel like I had put a lighter to my money - wasting it on garbage. It's an awful feeling. They provide chili oil if you ask for chili sauce so maybe next time I'll just bring a little bottle in my bag. Service was efficient and just nice enough without being overbearing. Great cuz I'm here to eat. I don't expect to be coddled like a newborn infant when dining out especially in an Asian restaurant. You live in Oak park so who are you to be a snob suddenly... puh-leez Needless to say, I'll be returning very soon! Noodles! It's all about the hand pulled noodles!! Do it! Almost as good as my beloved du kuh bees! Oh and free wifi. Sweet.
(5)
Chris J.
Had lunch here once before and liked it alot. Went back for a second taste and didn't like it so much. Orange Beef had no heat and no orange flavor to speak of. ordered the Seame Chicken and found it flavorless and seemed to be coated with the same sugar sweet sauce the orange beef was? The soups were just ok and the steamed bun was bland.
(2)
Kai K.
I ordered from Katy's based on the good Yelp reviews, but good God, it was quite possibly the worst Chinese food I've ever eaten. I swear to you, I seriously feel cheated that I paid money for it. It tasted like somebody who'd never cooked a meal in their life simply pulled up a few easy Chinese recipes online and then proceeded to flavor them with garbage. Both my wife and I are bewildered as to how this place is even open. We threw most of it out, and I feel like I should also post a sign by my trashcan when I take it out to the street so as to warn away any freegans who might come by.
(1)
Allison R.
Decor: Katy's has leftover decor from Hutong which is great because that's the only thing I liked about that place. It is a little strange to see they've literally just taped paper over the old name on the posters on the wall, but oh well. Be careful as you're walking in the front door because I've accidentally run into to the PF Chang-look-a-like statue on multiple occasions. Service: It's on the slow side and you will probably have to ask for more drinks. However, I find a common theme in most good Asian sit down restaurants is crappy decor and slow service. If it bugs you to have to wait a bit longer than usual try them at lunch or do delivery. Food: The shrimp and chive dumplings are amazing and filling enough to have that be your entree. I've had both the steamed and the pan fried versions and they were both delicious. The shredded pancake is also very good. It's a noodle dish with lots hand pulled noodles. All of their dishes are pretty decently priced too. Overall: It's so nice to finally have good Chinese food in Oak Park, even if you do have to wait a little longer to get it. They are also BYOB with no corking fee.
(4)
Miles S.
I wish I could give this place 5 stars, but SLOW customer service time and time again doesn't deserve 5 stars. The food on the other hand is OUTSTANDING! Pleasantly surprised at the great tasting food. Do yourself a favor and order takeout so you don't have to deal with slow and unattentive waiters. Pan fried noodles are always fresh and delicious! Servings for the noodles are massive and will feed you for more than one meal. Dumplings are also to die for. The food deserves a 5, the service deserves a 1.
(4)
Michael C.
This is my go to chinese restaurant in oak park, and I love the fact that it tastes so authentic. Please do yourself a favor and order one of their noodle dishes, but make sure that it's one where they use their own noodles! The noodles here are so a perfect texture and have a slight chewiness that you certainly don't find everywhere. I'm a big fan of the Dan Dan Noodles although they are quite spicy. Their stir fried shredded pancake is also I believe homemade and delicious as well. The fresh vegetables used and the amount of meat makes it a great pick. Overall very great food here. It doesn't get 5 stars from me because it is pretty expensive for chinese food, but I guess when you hand make a lot of your own food, c
(4)
Pieter W.
As much as I love visiting Chicago's Chinatown district, I used to always wish that there was a local establishment that served delicious, authentic Chinese dishes, especially Sichuaneze. Thanks to Katy's, it's just a few blocks down the street! You can't go wrong with the hand-pulled noodles, and I highly recommend the homemade dumplings and pot stickers. And if you like spicy food don't miss out on the beef or shrimp in spicy Szechuan sauce, it's loaded with flavor! Seriously, you WILL NOT find better Chinese food outside of Chinatown!
(4)
Adam K.
How this place has such good reviews is beyond me. Horrendous service, with our waitress frequently walking past our table without acknowledging us. In fact, I don't think she once the interacted with us without being flagged down first. The food itself is not offensive. If the service were even mediocre I might come here again. That said, I ordered sesame chicken, but the waitress set it in front of me and called it sesame beef; upon eating it, neither my wife nor I could say definitively which it was. So there's that. Also, the ambiance: The restaurant is clean and well appointed overall. BUT, Katy's took over for the failed Hutong Cafe, and didn't even bother to change or remove Hutong's large, prominent menu boards! Instead, they just papered over the old menu using -- wait for it -- TAKEOUT MENUS. Yes, they literally used takeout menus to decorate the place. It's a minor thing in the grand scheme of things, but it is a good illustrator of the general lack of professionalism of the place. I really wanted to like Katy's, but not so much.
(2)
Susie C.
The last time I've reviewed here was a poor experience and that's primarily because of the noodle soups.. I've tried few of their noodle soups and it wasn't good. The last two times I've been back my husband and I ordered their other Chinese dishes - fish filet with spicy bean sauce, green beans, chow fun, fried rice, potstickers, etc.. These are actually really good! This is why I have to revise my update because the last two times we've came here we ordered really good food. Plus there are more Chinese people eating here now so that makes it even more authentic. The customer service is still really great. My husband loves their fried rice...whenever he says I want fried rice at home, we know exactly where to go. Yep, this is a good place to fill in our Chinatown eats..since we don't live by Chinatown anymore. It is mroe expensive but still good.
(4)
Mary Ann C.
Yummmmmmm. The dumplings and two entrees were awesome!! The pork and fennel dumplings were superb. Better than any other dumpling I have ever tried! The fish dumplings were my second favorite. Cannot wait for another night of carry out!
(4)
Casey M.
This place rules! Hands down our favorite restaurant in Oak Park! Katy's is always an exciting treat!
(5)
Airen J.
Looking for Asian cuisine while visiting Oak Park? Katy's will not disappoint. Great ambiance, quick and attentive service and my meal was great. Great for date night and I will be back!
(4)
Bethany K.
LOVE this place. Great food, prompt service, and lovely ambiance inside. The noodles and the dumpling wrappers are all made by hand. The dumplings are incredible; not soggy at all, very tender and springy without being too chewy. All the dumplings are also available in the fried potsticker style, too. Every time I've been, they have never disappointed me. It's reasonably priced, and there are a respectable number of vegetarian options.
(4)
Skyla A.
I'd give it 100 stars if we had that many!! The orange chicken was moist and saucy! The green beans were cooked and seasoned to perfection and the hot fish soup is like umm YUMMY!!! Also, the veggie pancake noodles are sooooo good!
(5)
David N.
I like the food, but the service it horrible. I have tried eating in and delivery and in all cases the the staff had trouble understanding the order (the person on the phone had very limited english language skills). With the delivery , this has caused (on two separate occasions) our order to be completely wrong. When I complained, they only offered an apology and promptly hung up the phone on me. Good food or not, it's not worth the hassle. When you go inside the restaurant, there are odd coverings over all the places throughout the restaurant that has the old restaurant's name (which was Hutong). They also show that they accept American Express (on their website, on the carry out menus, and on the check holders in the restaurant). When you try to pay with American Express, then they tell you they don't accept it.....huh???
(1)
M W.
Not a big fan of Chinese food AT ALL but my boyfriend is, so I gave it a try. The crab rangoon was delicious and gone pretty quickly. I had the dumplings afterwards, and they were kinda slimy and not at all good. My boyfriend didn't enjoy his meal either.
(2)
Nancy E.
Omg went to dinner here and, I think I have found heave . the food tasted so fresh and so good and not to mention, the chengu dumplings yaaaaaaaa or the fusion spring rolls and the noodles hmmmmm ,again all I can say is this a favorite and it so affordable and the service is so awesome , will be going their again ,and again everyone need to try this place it is so awsome.
(5)
Colin R.
I'm a loyal customer of Katy's. For the price, this is the best Szechuan you can get in the area. The spring rolls are fresh and delicious, and the portion size of their entree's are big enough to feed a small army. I usually walk away with a full stomach, a sub-10 dollar dent in my wallet, and a smile on my face.
(5)
Bria D.
I work at an office down the street from this pace; so I decided to come here on my lunch break a few weeks ago. I walked in on a Friday during the lunch time rush, it was pretty crowded but not crazy. I was seated right way and given a menu and a glass of water. I glanced over the menu...they offer a wide variety of Chinese, Cantonese, and Thai food. I ordered the red Thai curry and it was delicious! This was my very first time having it and I was extremely satisfied; although I wish it was a bit spicier. My waiter was very attentive, and also quite handsome which was an added bonus. I will definitely be back.
(5)
Parker L.
This place is average takeout at best. Came here after reading the yelp reviews and left wishing I ate somewhere else as there are so many better places in oak park. Had shredded pancake and dumplings. Came Luke warm to table. Overall meh.
(2)
Marisol B.
My husband really enjoyed his Mongolian beef, I ordered a beef noodle soup but never actually got it. After asking for it again and seeing several people get theirs that had ordered after I had I decided it was time for us to leave. I really wanted to like this place but the service was bad.
(2)
bill h.
My wife, grandson and I visited the new Oak Park location last night. Parking was easy -and free after 6- in the lot a few doors west. We didn't have reservations, but were immediately seated in one of the booths. My wife was impressed with the upholstery choice. I was less impressed with the clearance between seat back and table edge, way too small for my ample- but not freakishly so- girth. The young ladies were prompt and helpful- in a language limited way- to take the order. Chengdu dumplings from the appetizer menu. Order of 10 with dipping sauce. 8 Pork and chive dumplings and 4 steamed juicy buns from the main menu. Green beans were ordered as an afterthought. WOW Oh, and a bowl of rice for the four year old. Food came fast, hot, delicious, and plentiful. We ended up taking 5 (of 18) dumplings and 1 (of 4) of the steamed buns, along with about 1/4 of the beans home. Definitely worth a repeat visit. Most of the minor quibbles go back to the poor functionality of the design left over from the now-defunct Hutong Cafe. Small booth space and no sound/echo/noise controls. The only other place for improvement would be to implement some organization on the waitstaff service. They were understaffed and disorganized, but trying VERY hard. I've never seen a waitress literally run back to the counter. All in all I will be back.
(4)
Kaz L.
I used to eat here a lot when it was Hutong, although the food was greasy but the favors were just right. So far I've been here twice ordered dumplings which was so soggy. The lettuce wrap has no flavor with big chunky meat pieces not anything I'd expect. We ordered miso soup for each of us, the waitress failed to mentioned that they're regular portion so we both got two big bowl of miso which didn't even taste like miso. That would be the last time we venture to this place.
(2)
Nick J.
It's a must go place if I ever go out of Chitown, I loved their hand made noodles and the authenticity of their Szechuan food. However last time I went there and didn't find the excellent taste for their spicy food, not sure if the change of chef. anyhow, it's still good enough for some real Sichuan but just won't go back as often as before.
(4)
K. E.
This place is weird but I'm definitely going to try it again and see what happens. The menu is enormous and really overwhelming, with very little description of any of the items. Next time I'm going to ask more questions. We tried some shrimp and chive dumplings which were delicious, a bowl of seafood noodle soup which was big enough for a family of four, and the shredded pancake with vegetables, unusual and really yummy (greasy though). I feel it's the kind of place you have to get your mind around over a few visits. The service was the big downer. It's set up for table service now (in a previous iteration there was ordering at the counter), but we had to ask for our tea three times, and in order to get a check and a container for our leftover soup, we had to get up from the table and find a server.
(3)
Neuman K.
They need to hire people who can communicate and can speak english. The dumplings were greasy and bland. They still have the old decor from Hutong and covered it with paper. They need to change the decor and not just cover the old decor with Japanese paper. The cumin beef was dry like beef jerky. I doubt this place will continue to operate in Oak Park. Hutong was better than this new place.
(2)
Hillary P.
I wish I could actually comment about the food at Katy's, but my husband and I didn't make it that far. We were excited to try out this place since we are growing weary at the food options in Oak Park. Plus, they had me at hand-pulled noodles. We went around 1:00pm on Sunday afternoon...during a Bears game. Needless to say it wasn't very busy. It smelled amazing in there, so we couldn't wait to eat. The booths along the wall were full so there were about 4-5 tables filled. We were sat right away...and that.was.it . The menu is huge and we took our time going through it. Not once did a sever, host, anyone come over to us and bring us water, ask if we had questions or take our order. We even did the obligatory close the menu, look at each other and look around. On a few occasions, the server brought food to the booths that butted up next to our table but, even though we willed her to come visit us, she didn't. So...we had a decision to make. One I've only made once or twice, to leave or not to leave. We left and went to Munch and had an awesome lunch/brunch. Sorry Katy's, we won't be back.
(1)
Damian S.
Liked most things I've gotten, but do not get the beggars chicken, no flavor and dry, plus you need to be careful with the bones
(4)
Sal K.
After trying this place a couple more times: the dishes are often too sweet and the other vegetarian items on the menu are usually more disappointing than the Buddha's Delight and the Fried Rice.
(3)
Zac B.
i ordered takeout from this place. Mayo fried shrimp: no idea what that means but i got it and it was delicious. i also got various dumplings and noodles, all of which were awesome. chinese takout is pretty much the same everywhere but i give this place extra points because the food was still crispy and not a big sloppy mess of everything mixed together. Since i only order out from this place i have no idea how the service is but i can definatly see what other people are saying about bad service. For example, we called and placed our order, didn't take our name or phone number. When i showed up they asked for it but i said they never took it but luckily they had our food. however i could easily see that becoming a disaster. i will continue to order from here unless they screw up big time
(4)
J J.
the service was mediocre, at best, and it wasn't busy at all. we came here last week...my chicken dish was good, but the portion wasn't what I thought it'd be, relative to the other Katy's dumplings locations I've been to. also, they didn't have any lunch specials on a weekday, which I've always been accustomed to, during the week. that's why I chose to go, because I assumed that to always be the case. my last gripe is, their smoothies were gross...we were told they only had 2 kinds of smoothies the day we went, and they were complimentary... because it was their version of a lunch special I guess. in any event, they were way too sweet. it wasn't necessary to add a bunch of sugar and/or corn syrup, to an already sweet drink. mangos are already naturally sweet to begin with...so, i was looking forward to, what I thought would be a an all-natural, refreshing drink. it also, didn't even taste like real sugar, so we didn't even drink our smoothies. all in all, would not come back.
(2)
Lauren Q.
Delicious, and super quaint atmosphere. I told my hubby that I want my future home to look like e inside of this place someday. Food includes Chinese, Thai, Korean, and apparently even some Vietnamese- my dream restaurant! What we had was delicious. Laughed that they were playing Brazilian music in the background, but totally enjoyed it. Will love to go back.
(5)
Nanook B.
Was really hopeful for a delicious new Chinese resteraunt in the area. The decor caught my eye and lured me in ... Sorry to say the service is enough to scare you out! How do you say "rude" in Chinese? May be if I knew how to communicate better I would have gained an once of courtesy or respect. Katy's Dumpling house is serving up plenty of rudeness accompanied by a side of " No Service". I inquired about hosting a private event and the staff was of absolutely NO help. No catering information, not even a tip on how to proceed! I ordered two large dishes to go and received two packets of sweet and sour sauce and soy sauce. The best one was when I asked for a couple of more, you would have thought I had asked for a Kidney. The female waitress flung an extra two packets in my hand after mumbling of how she already put some in the bag with a complete attitude. I did notice a slight service difference to my Caucasian counterpart. At least they were greeted when they walked in the door. Do I sense racial undertones? If so, Katy's Dumpling House you picked the wrong location for Buisness as this is the heart of Oak Park!
(2)
Stella L.
Great noodle! Somewhat salty though
(4)
Jerome H.
Far and away the best Chinese in the Oak Park area. The Chengdu dumplings alone make any potential problem with the service manageable. Anything stir-fried is a win - green beans, eggplant, any dish with pork in it - all worth getting. Best items would be dried chili chicken and szechuan twice cooked pork, although we're still scouting the menu.
Bo Y.
I live in oak park and katys is my go to for Chinese food in the area. Nothing else around oak park is even close, so if I don't have time to go to Chinatown katys gets the job done. The food is pretty good, though sometimes inconsistent-must be different chefs cooking the food. My favorite dishes are: shrimp with egg yolk pasted around 15 extra large shrimp shell on coated with egg yolk-Very authentic. Very delicious. Three chili fish very good though sometimes inconsistent. If it were slightly less oily I'd enjoy it more Fried rice- we ask for curry to be added to the fired rice for a Singaporean style. It's very good. Get the combo. The beef chicken and shrimp were all cooked very well. Large portions! Price is very fair, though attentiveness is sometimes not there regarding service service. Overall 4/5.
(4)Nick C.
Great local asian cuisine. We followed the consensus by going with the shrimp and chive dumplings and they did not disappoint... delicious! We also went with the sesame chicken which was among the best we've had. Beef and broccoli was a good dish (typical beef and broccoli), the pork and chive dumplings were good as well. We have dined in and taken out. Eating in is nice, the place is clean and updated, service was great. They do have old menus on the wall sort of half assedly covered up from what I assume to be a prior establishment which was a little funky, but harmless. We've also ordered delivery, which was quick and the food was hot.
(5)Emily P.
So, I doubt this is very good Chinese food with the exception of the dumplings and hand-pulled noodles. But we like it for a guilty pleasure. I do recommend the dumplings highly. Service is mostly friendly but barely competent. We've experienced missing entrees and disappearing waitresses.
(3)Joshua N.
I'm saddened to not be able to give a better review to Katy's Dumpling House. This restaurant brings a highly specialized ethnic authenticity that Oak Park almost never sees. The Szechwan dishes, when prepared correctly, are some of the most accurate and palate pleasing you'll find outside of Chinatown. And "when prepared correctly" is the key here. After several visits, I still cannot believe how hit and miss the menu is. Some appetizers are good enough and some are amazing. Entrees range from terrible to kind of good. And the Szechwan specialities are either amazing, or... not quite right. Everything is so random. Examples: * The General Tao's chicken is very good. You wouldn't normally want to order such a common dish in a specialized Chinese restaurant such as this one, but it's what they are good at. * Yu Xiang Eggplant: This basic staple of Szechwan and Hunan is completely phoned in. The eggplant is too coarsely cut, and there's a complete lack of garlic sauce. China should sue this place for even using the term "yu xiang" so inaccurately. * The worst offender: the duck. Instead of being roasted in the Chinese tradition, it's *deep fried*. The result is so disgusting, my friends and I couldn't finish it. I don't think I've ever left duck on the plate before. * Hui Guo Rou (twice cooked pork) was the least authentic dish I've seen in ANY Chinese restaurant in a long time. Popular in mandarin restaurants around the world, this dish is so easy to make any beginner Chinese chef could pull it off. But what we got at our table recently was 1/4 cup of kind of rough shredded beef, topped with mounds and mounds of sliced leeks. And lots of salt. * The tripe and tendon appetizers were nearly perfect. Excellent examples of Szechwan dishes done right. Why can't the rest of the menu be prepared this well? Also, the service for dine-in is particularly unreliable. I've had the wrong order brought to me in the past, and on my last visit the wait staff just completely forgot to put in our second round of food orders -- without any apology or even a resigned shrug. If only there were a definitive guide as to what menu items are good and what are failures, I would go here more often, and perhaps award a higher review. One of my friends suggested that dishes with pre-made sauces tended to be better. I may go back at some point to test this theory.
(2)Amanda R.
I just moved to the area a couple months ago and Katy's is already one of my favorite places to eat. The dumplings are so good (I recommend the Chengdu and the Triple) and very reasonably priced (two people can eat here for under $30 quite easily). They do a lunch special where you get a free smoothie with your entree... the smoothies are very good, too. There are only a couple things that I don't really care for: - There is not a very good selection of drinks - the iced tea is pretty bad - They only give you one fortune cookie at the end of your meal even if there's two people at your table Improve these things and it'll be 5 stars all the way!!!
(4)Neftali P.
It took me quite a while to stop on in despite passing by so many times, but I found that there are quite a number of dishes that I admit are really authentic. (I should know, my fiancée is Chinese... :D ) I very highly recommend the beef noodle soup with tendon and, if you're daring, the stir-fried pork kidney! Service is always excellent, the manager and servers are very friendly. Definitely stop on by!
(5)Eric S.
Good spot for Chinese in Oak Park, whether you're dining in or carrying out. Katy's House 'o' Dumplings has consistently delivered on their food and friendliness, and I'm a fan of their decor. I want to note, though, that when they underwent a name/ownership change, the old restaurant title was still visible in places, so they plastered takeout menus to cover it up. A little goofy and tacky, but the awesome hanging paper lanterns and fishtank atone for this. Egg drop soup is good, but it's made with corn (wtf). The very first time I got it, I angrily thought out loud "who put corn in my soup?", Googled why this happened, and realized that something like 1 out of 10 places do this. Allllllrighty then. Crab rangoons are tasty, potstickers aren't bad, service over the phone is typically polite and relatively easy to understand. Most of their stuff is a decent value, although the kung pao chicken entree is considerably light on the chicken, heavy on the green peppers and peapods. Their take-home containers are terrific! I've probably accumulated 50 of them in the past year and a half. Best thing about this place? The terra cotta warrior standing guard at the entrance. Santa, if you're reading this, I want one of those larger-than-life statues for christmas this year. I've been a good boy......sort of.
(4)Lizzy C.
Not as good as Chinatown restaurants but good enough for a quick Asian style lunch. Beef noodle is the best if less salty.
(4)Rui C.
Hands down the best Chinese food in & around Oak Park. I moved to OP 6 months ago from southern California (aka, land of great Chinese food) and had trouble finding delicious & authentic Chinese food here. A friend of mine suggested Luo's, man oh man what a mistake that was! After being burned by Luo's, I was hesitant to try Katy's but a girl needs her beef noodle soup! Thank goodness Katy's did not let me down! All the dishes I've ordered from here so far tasted authentic and great, but a bit too salty. I recommend the beef noodle soup, the szechuan boiled fish, the stir fried hand pulled noodles with veggies, the cumin lamb, and the shiao long bao. The service here has been pretty good and consistent, so nothing to complain about. I will definitely be back & getting deliveries once it gets to be too cold to go outside.
(4)Shamoon K.
I got takeout from here over the weekend and was happy about one dish and disappointed about the others. Not one dish was bad though, just not anything good. First we got the Chengdu Dumplings with shrimp and they were ok. I was looking forward to this dish the most because with a name like Katy's Dumpling House, I thought that they would be amazing. Turns out they weren't. They were just standard normal fare dumplings. Next came the Cantonese Chicken Fried Noodles. The chicken was just boiled with no seasoning or sauce and just plopped on top of everything. Pretty bad. The rest of the dish was fine though. Lastly, we got the beef noodle soup. Which was great. The noodles were easily the highlight of the dish. Nice and chewy and think. Really soaked up the broth too. The beef pieces though, were extremely fatty and gelatinous so that sucked. Its not like I was unhappy with the overall food, just disappointed. I'll be trying other places from now on.
(3)Aimee M.
During my early days on Yelp, I jumped on the Katy's bandwagon when they just had the spot in Westmont. Now there are three locations. Since I frequent Oak Park regularly, I was hoping some of Katy's noodle magic found it's way to their OP location. The first time I visited we ordered take out--pork/chive potstickers and pan fried noodles with shrimp. Even after a 20 min drive home everything was still hot and delicious. The potstickers were plump and tasty, the wrapping slightly firm but not mushy at all. The noodle dish was flavorful, perfect texture, nice chew, not mushy either. The most recent time I dined solo for lunch and just wanted soup. I was the only one there which was fine so I could slurp away as loudly as I wanted. I didn't of course but the soup was mighty tasty. I ordered the Xiao Long Bao (Juicy steam buns) and an order of beef noodle soup. I recently had my first taste of XLB in HK and I became an instant fan so I'm trying to find places in Chicagoland that have them. Here's my tip: don't order them here. They were so gross. They weren't well made, the wrapping didn't hold up so all the "soup" ran out of it. The filling was mushy and didn't seemed cooked well enough. yuck. If I had to rate Katy's on the XLB alone it would get one star. But my past take out orders and their soup is really what saves them. The Beef Noodle soup was excellent. So many layers of flavor. There's cumin, then garlic and the heat of the chili just warms you up all over. The meat is tender and cooked well and the noodles--well the noodles were perfect. Service has always been friendly. I forgot my cellphone here and they even ran out to try to catch me.
(4)Craig S.
Second attempt at trying to eat at 8:30. Failed completely. If you stop seating early, note that on your hours. Don't say you're open until 9 if you aren't. I miss the old place before it became this travesty. I understand that the people that work there need to clean up and get home. That's not my point. My point is that if you stop seating people before 8:30, why on earth do you advertise your hours as 9? Say you close at 8:30, problem solved.
(1)Kathy S.
Been here a couple times - once picking up and another time for dine in. I prefer the Katy's in Westmont a lot more. Last time I went, the Chengdu dumplings and pork & chive potstickers were good but the other two items we tried were not so great. I prefer saltier foods but the dan dan noodles were waaay too salty. I actually ate the noodles with potstickers that I didn't dip in sauce to balance it out. I had the noodles at the other location and it was much better. The beef & scallion potstickers were underwhelming as well...reminded me more of an empanada due to the shredded beef and it was just odd (to me). Service is close to non-existent. We just flagged down the server to order, get refills, etc. He and two other employees were sitting in one of the booths playing on their laptop/tablets. Last thing to note. The time we did get pickup from them, one of the potstickers had a tiny metal ring embedded into it. If we didn't see it when we were eating, one of us could have easily choked on it.
(1)Monica S.
The restaurant at the Oak Park location takes the cake for being the most modernized Katy's Dumpling House chain. It doesn't feel as homey as the Westmont or Naperville locations, nor is the bathroom awkwardly situated in the back of the kitchen like at the Westmont location. However, my food was only decent. I ordered a vegetarian chow fun, which turned out to be somewhat mushy. The pancakes were slightly more oily than I expected. My friend ordered the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) which were soggier than usual; in fact, one ripped open in the bamboo steaming basket. Our waiter did give consistent water refills but failed to clean up spilled water on the floor next to my table. Someone could slip from the puddle! Overall, if you want to visit a more upscale Chinese place but can settle for average Chinese food and okay service, then Katy's Dumpling House is a decent option. Otherwise, I'd go to the other 2 locations.
(3)Scott S.
Everything was so fresh and Delilah. The fried noodles are hand pulled. Scallion pancakes on the way. I could eat here once a week happily and keep exploring the menu
(5)Jackie W.
My husband is obsessed with this place. Honestly, I don't like any Chinese cuisine really but this place we frequent and I actually really enjoy it. Their ingredients are super fresh, the meals are seasoned perfectly and their interior of the space is lovely. They allow you to BYOB but we've never done it, usually we go for lunch - I keep reminding us to try drinks for dinner :) Our kiddos really like it too, and they seem to be patient enough with them. Which is super important to us. I recommend the fried noodles and the dumplings with chicken and bok choy are amazing.
(5)Darci A.
Takeout- phone order: I had tried to explain what I wanted because there are so many items on the menu and none that I could find to match the yummy yelp pics I'd seen... so I ordered the "pan fried noodles with beef and extra vegetables". I was almost given fried rice but luckily I corrected the order that was read back to me. The food was ready in 10 minutes and it was really good, however a bit oily for my taste and I didn't get any veggies in the meal. The egg rolls were really good. I would definitely eat here again, I just need to figure out how to order. I wish the menu had better descriptions for newbs like me! I also tried to go back around 9:30 with a friend and the kitchen had closed...I hate people who come late too but I was under the impression the kitchen was open til 10 on Fridays. If you want to order food be sure to get there at least an hour before the kitchen closes I guess.
(3)Chris G.
I wanted to like this place. But definitely a disappointment. The dumpling were definitely homemade but the filling was poor quality and had a bit of a funk. The soup noodles were also bland and watered down. Tasted just like water and soy. Would be better with a homemade stock. Definitely can find better.
(1)Maggie G.
The food here is pretty good, satisfies a Chinese food craving. No liquor license at the Oak Park location so don't order something so spicy a Tsingtao beer is required.
(3)Rosa J.
Ok, this is a review that I wish yelp allowed me to rate the food and service, separately. However, that isn't an option to do so. I'll try my best to explain why I gave four (4) stars even though this rating wasn't justified in terms of atmosphere and service. 1) the service was virtually non-existent: they gave you water and asked you if you were ready to order. That was it! Why didn't this bother me? I know Chinese too well. They don't have the culture to earn tips through service and there's no need tip them if you don't feel like. Nevertheless, it's unfortunate that they don't run the business like Americans would. It doesn't mean that they were rude or disrespectful. If you need something, just ask. Make sure they understand because I don't think any of them speaks good English. I used Chinese the entire time; it makes everything so much easier. 2) the food was actually good: I order the shrimp & chive dumplings, beef noodle soup, and sautéed string beans. They weren't the best I ever had, but for the neighborhood standard, they were great. It's located in Oak Park, so I don't think there's another Chinese restaurant (perhaps some fast-food joints like "see-thru"...you know what I meant). I know they do take-out orders and delivery. Therefore, this is a good option for you at your convenience if you don't care about the service for dining in. 3) I agree with the fellow yelpers that the decorations were tacky. They tried to cover up the name under the previous ownership, maybe? I should have left the wall blank rather than utilizing their menus to make "fans" out of them. Their work of art was just unattractive. The entire experience was good. Once again, I came here for the good and I've got what I wanted. I never expect any service whatsoever out of a Chinese restaurant. I'm just that matter-of-fact. If you care about the service portion of dining in, don't go there or do carry-out, plain and simple.
(4)Christine D.
We love Katy's food and either eat in or order out at least once a month. We have made it a goal to try different things each time since the menu is so eclectic and "pan" Asian. Nothing else in OP compares to quality of food hands down. only issue is that the service can be very inconsistent. I think that 50% of the time we have what I would call acceptable service. I now know what to expect so I "manage" the service in my own way - by ordering everything at once, by telling them to bring me the bill when they are serving the food, etc. On carryout orders, do not expect food to be ready until at least twice as long as they tell you on the phone. 10 min=20 min etc. and you must open up your bag and check that they got it right and didn't forget anything. one funny/strange incident - we ordered beef tendon appetizer which my husband learned to like from having Korean college roommates. The waiter brought it to our table and was about to set it down, then did an abrupt about face and took it to another table occupied by Asian customers. They told him that they didn't order it and he consulted his paper and sheepishly brought it back to our table, with the comment, "I didn't think white people would order this." we got a kick out of it but it was not something he should have said out loud!
(4)Michelle L.
I'm upset about the review I have to write on this place. I have been here a bunch of times, and they have AWESOME dumplings (chengdu are my fav) however, the last few times I've come the service has gotten worse and worse. They have never had outstanding service, but it was okay enough that I didn't feel negative about it. The last time my boyfriend and I came in he ordered the 3 Chili Chicken. They made a mistake and brought him 3 Cups Chicken. Our waiter did apologize, but instead of offering to get him the correct dish, he said "just try it, you will like it". He didn't like it, and we came to find later on our bill that it's more expensive than the original dish he wanted. Okay, so we love the dumplings enough that we decide we can go back, we just have to be clearer when we order. So we went today and first off our waitress was wearing a winter peacoat and scarf, completely unprofessional (and its June?) and we were the only customers in there. Then they forgot about our dumplings, that we ordered as an appetizer, so I kindly reminded her, after calling out to get her attention, and we got them after our entrees came out. She did not bother to check on us once, and did not refill my water until we paid the bill. While we ate our meal, there were two other servers present, sitting in a booth with her having social hour, their phone kept ringing and no one got to it with any urgency. I'm just really disappointed because their dumplings as I said are great, and they're really cheap and BYOB, but I will never eat in there again. There's still a shred of hope for carry out, but I'm not even sure about that.
(2)Katie C.
Not just another Chinese restaurant. They offer Korean dishes and what looks like Thai dishes to me. I had the Buddha vegie dinner with rice and the vegetables were the freshest I've ever had. And those shitake mushrooms were out of this world! My new go to for Asian cuisine!
(5)Tamera B.
So, I had lunch here and it was just ok. The food was tasty, but portions small and service lacking. I tried the Mongolian Beef and wonton soup. I dined alone and there we only 2-3 more parties in the restaurant, but my server kept getting lost for long periods of time. So I had to ask for my water to be refilled a couple of times and ask for my check. I observed my server sitting at a booth in the back of the restaurant looking at a laptop, laughing, and having a jovial time with another worker much of time. So, I had to just ask anyone that I saw walking by when I needed something. The Mongolian Beef and soup were both good, but due to the service mishaps, I probably won't stop by this place again.
(3)K A.
We moved from Seattle last year and really miss the Asian food. Sadly for us the Naperville restaurant closed so now we have to drive all the way to Oak Park for juicy steamed dumplings....definitely worth it though! As another reviewer mentioned, they are very patient with kids which is definite bonus. Our toddler loves the sautéed green beans and noodles.
(5)Hector D.
I really enjoyed the food here. Everything was tasty and fresh. We ordered: scallion pancakes, shrimp and chive pot stickers, orange chicken, and Singapore noodles. The restaurant itself is nice as well and our server was friendly. I would recommend it for sure.
(4)James B.
We moved to Oak Park a year ago and are still searching for a go-to Chinese restaurant. Katy's was the next on our list, and unfortunately - our search continues. To summarize our food experience- Egg rolls: DONT ORDER. They just have the generic frozen ones that they buy by the box and warm up for you. They do not make homemade egg rolls. If you like these cabbage-only egg rolls go to Costco and buy 100 of them for $3.29. At Katy's you get 2 for $2.50. Pot Stickers: They allegedly specialize in these (and dumplings). They weren't bad, but they didn't blow me away. They are pot stickers, nothing more. Sesame Chicken. The meat itself wasn't bad, but it was a run-of-the-mill dish you could achieve at Panda Express. Pan fried noodles with pork. Not bad .. lots more sauce than meat. All in all it was all just very average. But it definitely wasn't cheap. I like the online ordering but I don't like the $3.50 delivery charge ... Unless you live within walking distance of the restaurant you're gonna get charged this.. I live 1.1 miles away and apparently that 4 minute drive warrants a delivery charge.
(2)Laurie B.
This review is for service (or lack there of) during our recent visit. The food was great. The service was not at all friendly. Today for my family's visit, our server never smiled, greeted us or even made eye contact with us. Our food was great--Dan Dan noodle rocks as did the pickled cabbage pork noodle soup. We had to flag someone down for water. There was zero interaction during our meal. I generally don't like being interrupted, but this was extreme. When we were finished eating, our server never looked at us or thanked us for coming. We paid and even left a decent tip--I'm regretting that decision as she did not deserve it and certainly was not grateful.
(2)Veronica X.
Reading previous reviews, I understand Katy's Dumpling House took over the space of a Chinese restaurant called Hutong in Oak Park at least 8 months ago and most if not all the décor were left intact. The first poster on the wall closest to the door described "hutong", the iconic narrow alleys in historic Beijing that are on the verge of extinction which the previous restaurant borrowed their name from. What Katy's did to this poster is to paste over every word of "hutong" with a sloppy hand-written "Katy's Dumpling House" on a crappy piece of paper. The whole poster no longer makes any sense. Take it down already! Unfortunately the food almost matched the lack of pride and respect for craftsmanship shown in the plastered-over poster. We ordered pot stickers (pan-fried dumplings), Dan Dan Noodles, Yuxiang Eggplant and left the restaurant with most food untouched. The pot stickers were average, even compared to most Chinese restaurants NOT specializing in dumplings; both made with hand-pulled noodles, the Dan Dan Noodles was less soupy (good) than Katy's Westmont location and has different toppings, but neither have much depth of flavor beyond spiciness; I didn't taste much flavor in the undercooked eggplant either, besides a little spiciness and sweetness. If you are into noodles and spicy food, Katy's may still be worth a try. Me? I am giving up on self-proclaimed authentic Szechuan restaurants, no matter how many seemingly authentic items listed on the menu.
(2)Angela C.
It says Katy's Dumpling House on the outside of the building and Hutong Cafe on the inside. Either way, I'm eating here again. The noodle is such an integral part of Asian cuisine and the fact that they hand stretch their noodles daily and make fresh dumplings daily is a huge plus! Massive respect from me. We got the boiled pork and bok choy dumplings and they were delicious. I got the chenghu Dan Dan noodles that was a sure winner with its spice level and baby bok choy. My wife got the chicken fried noodles. She added sriracha to it because we are spice junkies, but I tried a bite before she put it on and it had a beautifully subtle flavor. If you don't like spice, but you want a good authentic fried noodle dish, this simple one will do. The service wasn't fantastic, but it was towards the end of the night and they were still super sweet. And the food was great. They deliver too. Plus!
(4)Weisun C.
A late lunch on a weekday was my first visit here with a veteran customer. While I'm familar with steamed or deep-fried dumplings (Cantonese "gui loam") or pan-fried pot stickers, my first boiled dumplings would be at this Katy's, within view of the famed Lake Theater. The cock's-comb-shaped pouches were made from a rather thick sheet of dough. The texture reminded me of Polish perogis, which are also boiled. Ours were the shrimp and chive variety (8 to the order). The dipping soy-based sauce is definitely recommended. We split two main dishes, a relatively mild "Stir-fried Shredded Pancake" with chicken, and a fiery hot "Chengdu Dan Dan Noodle." Both hold surprises for even careful menu readers. Since there is no whole pancake with that first dish, what you get is the pancake cut into long strips. The noodle dish from the Sichuan region of China is super spicy owing to the chili oil and Sichuan peppers (mainly the seeds) used. It's listed on the menu under the grouping, "Noodle Soup," but there is no soup involved. Both go well with the steamed white rice. But the Dan Dan Noodles you have to be prepared for! There is also minced pork under those spicy noodles. Both dishes were finely executed and well presented. Lots more here to return for (an 8-panel menu full of tempting items). Besides Chinese items, there are Korean and Thai dishes. Lots of items "in Chengdu Style" too. The spicy/peppery items are shown with little pepper symbols of warning. To slake those fiery tastes, they offer fruity smoothies and ice cream. Despite their name, Katy's main specialty is their handmade noodles.
(4)Tzeittle C.
Great service and okay food. We got the scallion and shrimp dumplings and they tasted good but we're a little "too wet" for my liking. The strawberry smoothie was great, though!
(3)claire r.
Terrible delivery service! We just ordered. It took over an hour and a half to come to our house. I called twice. The first time they said the driver was out with our food. Called 20 mins later to cancel my order since it still hadn't arrived and was told bc it was out with the driver that they couldn't refund. They said the driver left 30 MINUTES AGO and they would call and have him 'go to our house first'. Umm it was already sitting in the car for at least 30 mins! The food did arrive. It was fine. The pot stickers were terrible - perhaps because they sat for god knows how long. So, so frustrating. How can a restaurant not have figured out how to deliver promptly.
(1)JS T.
We always go to the original Westmont location, which is where everything is made (noodles, dumplings, etc.) Unfortunately, we had a craving on a Monday, and the Naperville and Westmont locations were closed. A bit disappointing. A few thoughts: 1. The noodles are still as a good as the original. Very chewy, cooked perfectly, and I felt the portion was about the same, but my husband thought it was less than the Westmont location. 2. They water down the beef soup (much more potent at Westmont) and I think they add MSG because I was pretty thirsty afterwards. They also put chopped raw garlic in the soup, which is weird because it's supposed to be fried or at least cooked down a bit. 3. Generally I don't expect much with service at a Chinese restaurant, but it was pretty poor since we showed up on at 2:00 in the afternoon and the hostess/waitress was leisurely cutting green beans and chatting with her friend while the one server had to take our order and clear the 5-6 tables that needed to be bussed. I felt bad for him. The unbussed tables also made the restaurant feel kind of grungy. 4. Prices are more expensive than Westmont, though I expect because renting the space is more (Westmont is more hole in the wall interior). Final conclusions: Probably won't return to this location unless I'm craving the noodles (really can't find anything as good anywhere else) and it's a Monday. Otherwise, I'm better off waiting to go to the original.
(3)Sarah S.
Had to add an update to my last review since we have tried the delivery service several times now. Would NOT recommend using delivery from here. Despite living less than 5 miles away it has never taken less than an hour to receive the delivery. The last time it took nearly 2 hours, which was the last straw. I will still go to Katy's to dine in, as it is still by far the best Chinese food in Oak Park. I will no longer use the delivery option.
(5)Jo B.
Underwhelming, given the high hopes I had for Katy's. We ordered sesame chicken, pot stickers, and crab Rangoon. The Rangoon is the only thing I would order again. Nothing was bad, but everything was just bland. I will stick to my usual Chinese place.
(3)Chika S.
I agree with other reviews about the strange covered up display menus on the wall... I've gone a few times for Sunday lunch and it is pretty deserted too. The decor is contemporary and nice, service decent... Noodles and dumplings amazing!!! This is one if those places you need to know what to order and stuck with it. We all (5 of us) didn't like the shrimp and lobster or the hot and sour soup... Too starchy and gelatinous. But the wonton soup, fried noodle dishes, and crispy duck were really good. Free smoothies @ Sunday lunch... gotta love That! If we have a couple more good dishes I'll bump up my rating to 4 stars.
(3)Kelsey H.
It was the attractive decor that drew my husband and I in on a cold afternoon of Christmas shopping..... Sadly, it was the former Hutong's tasteful decor and not Katy's. In fact, the only changes they made was taping their take-out menu over anything that said "Hutong" or pieces of paper that said "Katy's Dumpling House." Then of course, you finally realize that the pictures of yummy food are Hutong's too! Classy. Service was spotty. We were seated and brought water, no straws. We sat and sat and watched different people walk past before someone finally stopped to get our order. Our waiter never introduced himself or anything. Many times we waited and waited to get our waters refilled. We shared crab rangoons which were really good. The dipping sauce they bring out (spicy mustard and sweet and sour) were both pretty spicy but came out in little jars that are obviously shared among many many people. And everyones using the same little spoon to put on their food... We also shared shrimp and chive steamed buns and chicken shredded pancake. The steamed buns were..okay... The bun itself was good but it was literally just straight shredded chives and a piece of shrimp. Way too much chive. And I really like chives! The shredded pancake was really good but the chicken made it inedible. It was clearly cooked days ago and then microwaved and it just had that awful microwave taste... We couldn't eat it. I did pick out pieces of the pancake that was good though. Won't be back.
(2)Robby K.
A great place for warm soup on a cold winter night. Go in there with a game plan such as splitting a spicy Korean beef and tofu soup and sharing 2 orders of dumplings (as we did). I preferred the pork chive pot sticker. The gf liked shrimp and chive boiled dumplings better. FYI dumplings and pot stickers are the same things :) I'm excited to go back for bao buns and traditional duck vermacelli among other duck options. We'll definitely be back a ton and will grab carry out occasionally. Why 4 stars? Because I am still not sure if they serve alcohol, or if they byob? They had wine glasses behind the cashier.. After dining in, taking a menu home, I still dont know their booze sitch.
(4)Jess C.
I'm all about the noodle and this place delivers just that! I've had the steamed dumplings to Dan Dan noodles to pad Thai to the beef noodle soup. And I recommend them all! My only beef with them is their service is slow but friendly. Parking is close by right next to Pier One.
(4)Matt M.
I'll preface my review with - I am not the biggest dumpling person in the world. But the dumplings here are good enough to make any person who is luke warm on dumpling satisfied and often makes you crave them later. The only downside seems to be the other food. And by downside I mean average. It would serve them well to take the next step and make the quality of their non-dumpling focused foods and make them as awesome as dumplings.
(4)Linda B.
Have had delivery here a few times, no problem. Tonite, the receipt had been stapled to the wrong order. Seems to be cleared up..they actually picked it back up...and are sending out the correct order. BUT no credit/ discount for the fact we had to eat two hours late or for the hassle. My husband asked and was told to mention it next time and we will get free appetizers. As if there will be a next time! Zilch customer service Post script...got our order, no rice for one of the dishes!!! Awful
(1)Holly A.
I'm so confused by the low ratings. This is my favorite restaurant of any kind in Oak Park, and the solid quality + large menu gives me lots of reasons to keep coming back. As others have said, the noodles are handmade and really special compared to other restaurants' noodle dishes. Some of my other favorites: * Dumplings of any kind -- they're handmade and awesome. * Three-chili chicken -- like little bits of sweet, spicy boneless fried chicken. * Yushan eggplant -- there aren't a lot of vegetable dishes on the menu, but this one makes up for it. * Cucumber with garlic -- served cold, a great appetizer. I'm sure there are lots more winners. I promise to keep trying new ones to see.
(5)Deena H.
Vegetable Fried rice is really good and had whole pieces of broccoli and pea pods. The Orange chicken was not good in my opinion but the general tsaos was really good and spicy too. Crab Rangoon is average. They don't give enough sauce with delivery so remember to ask them in advance.
(3)Char Y.
the food quality varies depends on the day. the beef noodle soup is always solid, although the meat quantity has definitely gone down through the years. the other dishes are questionable at best due to quantity and taste. the dumplings are still great!
(3)Sol A.
Walked in late one evening about 9pm. Even though they were cleaning up to close they never hurried us. Not only was the food was wonderful the service was good as well. Their veggie dishes are so creative and the flavors were excellent. We of course had to try the dumplings. They're huge and tasty. Every time I've eaten here the food has been spot on. Good choice if you're in the mood for something different. Stop in. They wouldn't disappoint.
(3)Katherine M.
I have ordered from here so many times and its been great. Last night ruined it. I always order extra sauce with my dumplings and crab Rangoon. However, last night I wasn't even given one. Not even the packets. There were two, yes two soy sauce packets in the bag for a decent sized order. Seriously ? Oh, and the sweet and sour chicken was so soggy it was inedible. What a waste of money !!!!
(1)Yvonne B.
Super cute and comfortable interior design. I've never seen anyone at the host(ess) station up front so it's really not clear what to do. The primary server man is a sweetie but struggles with understanding and speaking English. The food is good, but some dishes are standouts: - Pork & Chives Dumplings - Orange Chicken - Sesame Chicken - Three Chili (Chicken) - Smoothies M thinks they charged $9 for my smoothie. It was HUGE, but it was only supposed to be $4. Don't know if M was mistaken or what. Just keep an eye out. Oh - they're BYOB which is important because they really don't have a lot in the way of beverages. Like, they have pop, water, and smoothies.
(4)Timothy T.
Very good Chinese food, possibly no MSG. Fresh tasting, lean meats and very good veggies. Inside scoop: The best mango shake I've had in a few years (since being on a mango farm in SE Asia). Sit back, relax and enjoy. Oh, and say hi to the replica terra cotta statue for me (photo op!)
(5)Rees S.
This place has pretty quickly become a standby in our family repertoire for dining out locally. Everything we have tried has been decent, but the standout items we keep ordering are the green curry shrimp with green beans and broccoli, the kung pao chicken and the three cups chicken, which my teenage son cannot get enough of. We usually get dumplings and pot stickers as appetizers. The service is cheerful and pleasant and this is a good choice for a family dinner out that doesn't break the bank.
(4)Jomel R.
Best word to describe the food here is greasy. The beef noodle soup has a thick layer of oil, the salt and pepper crispy tofu is served sitting in oil, and the Mongolian beef is made with a sauce that's mostly oil. Second best word would be bland. I've given this place way too many chances just because it's a few blocks away, but the food is just not good and is pricey for the portions they give. I'd rather go to panda express.
(1)Joshua H.
Whenever I directly pick out a place to eat, we always end up not enjoying it. I'm sad to note that Katy's was no exception to this rule. I was initially attracted to this place by the name and how the building looked. Based on the decor it looked like a really nice, modern Asian restaurant. After we got inside and looked around it quickly became apparent that the decor belonged the restaurant that was there prior, Hutong. You could tell because there were pieces of white paper with "KATY'S DUMPLING HOUSE" written in sharpie plastered over every sign where "Hutong" had been written prior. We were seated quickly enough, but it seriously took around 15 minutes for someone to bring us water and take our order. That's with them walking past our table 4-5 times. It wasn't like the place was packed. We were seated behind the only other people there. Coming to a dumpling house we decided we should probably try the dumplings. So along with our staple of crab rangoon we got shrimp and chive dumplings and something called a chicken stir-fried shredded pancake. The crab rangoon came out right away and was good. The cream cheese inside wasn't overly sugared or anything and the crab meat was actually real crab and not the imitation stuff. It was all fried perfectly too. They brought with it two sauce dishes, one was sweet and sour and the other was soy sauce. I thought the sweet and sour sauce was really good and had a nice little kick to it. Next came the dumplings. The dumplings honestly were just straight salad shrimp stuffed into a wonton wrapper with a like a billion chives. They didn't really have any seasoning to them. The flavor wasn't bad, I just expected a bit more. The last thing to come out was our chicken stir-fried shredded pancake. The vegetables inside were good, as was the shredded pancake. If you ate those individually you were in the clear. The chicken however is a whole different story. It just tasted like a mixture between freezer burn and extreme microwave. I'm someone who will cook a plain chicken breast in the oven and then microwave it for lunch the next day, and I thought it was too microwaved. I don't really know how to conclude this review. I really couldn't find much to redeem this place. It's not somewhere I'd go again.
(1)Thomas C.
Really would give it 4 1/2 stars. There are some pretty decent Chinese spots in Oak Park, North star being the most notable, but had always wanted to check out Katy's other location because we love dumplings/potstickers. So on a whim on a sunday decided to get carry out and we were not disappointed. We tried the Fish and pork and chive potstickers, DELICIOUS. Mongolian Beef was the best I've had, and we tried the chicken cantonese noodles which were as good as everything else. Next we will dine in, but great first impression.
(4)Simon R.
We are frequent flyers in this restaurant and like the food ( 4 stars for the food itself ). The problem are the bathrooms - they are filthy even when the restaurant opens. There is simply no excuse for overflowing garbage cans at the start of the business day. ZERO stars for bathroom cleanliness. Let's hope that the state of the bathrooms is not duplicated in the kitchen....which is just across a narrow hallway from the bathrooms.....
(2)Uriel B.
I called this place as soon as I was off work. I figured the food would be there by the time I got home. I almost always give restaurants a good chance at proving me wrong even when I am a bit picky. I got home and still waited up to an hour and a half after I had ordered. I live less than 4 blocks away. I called and asked what was taking so long, being that I live pretty close. I was put on hold for a couple of minutes while they discussed calling the delivery driver. After a while. I was hung up on. I called back immediately and asked again what the situation was. "10 minutes, driver is down the street". I called back after 10 minutes and the people answering the phone put the phone down argued that the order had not even been made and hung up. I called back. Cancelled the order. So I ordered from elsewhere. 20 minutes later the driver calls and says he is outside. This is the worst communication I have ever had with a restaurant so close. As stated by other reviewers, the service is horrible.
(1)Rose C.
Finally tried the actual restaurant. The two stars are for the beautiful interior. The cheap-o covering of the former "Hutongs" name everywhere is well, funny, but at the same time incredibly unprofessional, and reflects badly on the newer owners. I mean, taped up, hand written Katy's Dumplings over all the very professionally done signs? In such a beautiful space? I kind of prefer the hole-in-the-wall Katy's in Westmont, at least it is very clear that decor is not what the place is about. Still, I looked forward to my lunch. It was a hot day, so I didn't have my usual beef tendon noodle soup. Instead, I had beef stir fry. Sadly, it was impossibly oily, super sweet, and otherwise bland and tasteless. The dish I ordered was supposed to be a spicy dish. The texture of the noodles was great, though, as always, I loved the noodles. Not thinking I'll be back, but I'll go out to Westmont for sure, even though the OP location is certainly much closer and very beautiful.
(2)Jackie K.
Had a great date night out with my husband here this past weekend. The food was amazing and I highly recommend their hand pulled noodles - delicious. The BYOB we should have planned for but either way we'll be back and ready. Good for dates, family friendly and friends - huge menu, too.
(5)Izzy N.
I've been meaning to try Katy's dumplings for a couple years now so I'm glad to see there's a new location in oak park. Behold: bouncy, nicely seasoned noodles with a slight chew. How noodles are meant to be. With just enough vegetables and plump shrimp. Spoon on generous amounts of chili oil/paste... Delicious. Fucking. Delicious. They made for good left overs too! We had the shredded pancakes also and they were fantastic. Nice little wok char marks. Pour on some chili oil and it's perfect. I would get those two again immediately. It was a great meal but noooooo I made sure we rounded out the meal with a couple more dishes for good measure. We also had their salt and pepper squid which was barely average at best- I wouldn't get that again- I've yet to find any place in the midwest that can do that dish any justice but their chive and shrimp dumplings were pretty good. You can get them steamed or fried potsticker style and we opted for the potstickers. Hello, fried.. that's music to my ears! They're plump but watch out, they're really juicey and a good amount of broth from the filling would squirt out and these weren't even the soup dumplings. Dip it in their vinegary soy dipping sauce and add in a heaping spoonful of chili oil.. you're golden. I was pretty happy with our meal- for the first time in a long time I didn't feel like I had put a lighter to my money - wasting it on garbage. It's an awful feeling. They provide chili oil if you ask for chili sauce so maybe next time I'll just bring a little bottle in my bag. Service was efficient and just nice enough without being overbearing. Great cuz I'm here to eat. I don't expect to be coddled like a newborn infant when dining out especially in an Asian restaurant. You live in Oak park so who are you to be a snob suddenly... puh-leez Needless to say, I'll be returning very soon! Noodles! It's all about the hand pulled noodles!! Do it! Almost as good as my beloved du kuh bees! Oh and free wifi. Sweet.
(5)Chris J.
Had lunch here once before and liked it alot. Went back for a second taste and didn't like it so much. Orange Beef had no heat and no orange flavor to speak of. ordered the Seame Chicken and found it flavorless and seemed to be coated with the same sugar sweet sauce the orange beef was? The soups were just ok and the steamed bun was bland.
(2)Allison R.
Decor: Katy's has leftover decor from Hutong which is great because that's the only thing I liked about that place. It is a little strange to see they've literally just taped paper over the old name on the posters on the wall, but oh well. Be careful as you're walking in the front door because I've accidentally run into to the PF Chang-look-a-like statue on multiple occasions. Service: It's on the slow side and you will probably have to ask for more drinks. However, I find a common theme in most good Asian sit down restaurants is crappy decor and slow service. If it bugs you to have to wait a bit longer than usual try them at lunch or do delivery. Food: The shrimp and chive dumplings are amazing and filling enough to have that be your entree. I've had both the steamed and the pan fried versions and they were both delicious. The shredded pancake is also very good. It's a noodle dish with lots hand pulled noodles. All of their dishes are pretty decently priced too. Overall: It's so nice to finally have good Chinese food in Oak Park, even if you do have to wait a little longer to get it. They are also BYOB with no corking fee.
(4)Miles S.
I wish I could give this place 5 stars, but SLOW customer service time and time again doesn't deserve 5 stars. The food on the other hand is OUTSTANDING! Pleasantly surprised at the great tasting food. Do yourself a favor and order takeout so you don't have to deal with slow and unattentive waiters. Pan fried noodles are always fresh and delicious! Servings for the noodles are massive and will feed you for more than one meal. Dumplings are also to die for. The food deserves a 5, the service deserves a 1.
(4)Kai K.
I ordered from Katy's based on the good Yelp reviews, but good God, it was quite possibly the worst Chinese food I've ever eaten. I swear to you, I seriously feel cheated that I paid money for it. It tasted like somebody who'd never cooked a meal in their life simply pulled up a few easy Chinese recipes online and then proceeded to flavor them with garbage. Both my wife and I are bewildered as to how this place is even open. We threw most of it out, and I feel like I should also post a sign by my trashcan when I take it out to the street so as to warn away any freegans who might come by.
(1)Michael C.
This is my go to chinese restaurant in oak park, and I love the fact that it tastes so authentic. Please do yourself a favor and order one of their noodle dishes, but make sure that it's one where they use their own noodles! The noodles here are so a perfect texture and have a slight chewiness that you certainly don't find everywhere. I'm a big fan of the Dan Dan Noodles although they are quite spicy. Their stir fried shredded pancake is also I believe homemade and delicious as well. The fresh vegetables used and the amount of meat makes it a great pick. Overall very great food here. It doesn't get 5 stars from me because it is pretty expensive for chinese food, but I guess when you hand make a lot of your own food, c
(4)Pieter W.
As much as I love visiting Chicago's Chinatown district, I used to always wish that there was a local establishment that served delicious, authentic Chinese dishes, especially Sichuaneze. Thanks to Katy's, it's just a few blocks down the street! You can't go wrong with the hand-pulled noodles, and I highly recommend the homemade dumplings and pot stickers. And if you like spicy food don't miss out on the beef or shrimp in spicy Szechuan sauce, it's loaded with flavor! Seriously, you WILL NOT find better Chinese food outside of Chinatown!
(4)David S.
Couldn't stand Hutong, the MIL suggested that now it was full-on Katy's it was better - she was right! Excellent Chicken Chow Fun and the spicy Fried Tofu. The dumplings we had were a bit mushy, sitting in a sad little pool of water in the dish. I still gave it 4 stars because it is the best Chinese in Oak Park! Probably will just use for delivery from now on, but glad it's here!
(4)Janet J.
A take out order, and maybe we should have tried the dumplings at Katy's Dumpling House. Our appetizers were quite good. We had egg rolls and pot stickers. Our entrees (ginger shredded duck and garlic black pepper beef) were way too salty and we wound up throwing them out. Many better Chinese food options in Oak Park.
(2)Adam K.
How this place has such good reviews is beyond me. Horrendous service, with our waitress frequently walking past our table without acknowledging us. In fact, I don't think she once the interacted with us without being flagged down first. The food itself is not offensive. If the service were even mediocre I might come here again. That said, I ordered sesame chicken, but the waitress set it in front of me and called it sesame beef; upon eating it, neither my wife nor I could say definitively which it was. So there's that. Also, the ambiance: The restaurant is clean and well appointed overall. BUT, Katy's took over for the failed Hutong Cafe, and didn't even bother to change or remove Hutong's large, prominent menu boards! Instead, they just papered over the old menu using -- wait for it -- TAKEOUT MENUS. Yes, they literally used takeout menus to decorate the place. It's a minor thing in the grand scheme of things, but it is a good illustrator of the general lack of professionalism of the place. I really wanted to like Katy's, but not so much.
(2)Susie C.
The last time I've reviewed here was a poor experience and that's primarily because of the noodle soups.. I've tried few of their noodle soups and it wasn't good. The last two times I've been back my husband and I ordered their other Chinese dishes - fish filet with spicy bean sauce, green beans, chow fun, fried rice, potstickers, etc.. These are actually really good! This is why I have to revise my update because the last two times we've came here we ordered really good food. Plus there are more Chinese people eating here now so that makes it even more authentic. The customer service is still really great. My husband loves their fried rice...whenever he says I want fried rice at home, we know exactly where to go. Yep, this is a good place to fill in our Chinatown eats..since we don't live by Chinatown anymore. It is mroe expensive but still good.
(4)Mary Ann C.
Yummmmmmm. The dumplings and two entrees were awesome!! The pork and fennel dumplings were superb. Better than any other dumpling I have ever tried! The fish dumplings were my second favorite. Cannot wait for another night of carry out!
(4)Casey M.
This place rules! Hands down our favorite restaurant in Oak Park! Katy's is always an exciting treat!
(5)Airen J.
Looking for Asian cuisine while visiting Oak Park? Katy's will not disappoint. Great ambiance, quick and attentive service and my meal was great. Great for date night and I will be back!
(4)Bethany K.
LOVE this place. Great food, prompt service, and lovely ambiance inside. The noodles and the dumpling wrappers are all made by hand. The dumplings are incredible; not soggy at all, very tender and springy without being too chewy. All the dumplings are also available in the fried potsticker style, too. Every time I've been, they have never disappointed me. It's reasonably priced, and there are a respectable number of vegetarian options.
(4)Skyla A.
I'd give it 100 stars if we had that many!! The orange chicken was moist and saucy! The green beans were cooked and seasoned to perfection and the hot fish soup is like umm YUMMY!!! Also, the veggie pancake noodles are sooooo good!
(5)Labor U.
Traveling salesman eat all over the country. For what I got and what I paid unbalanced. Fast food in a nice neighborhood. Average to fair food. ordered the noodle soup. Nice sesame taste 3 shrimp in a huge bowl of noodles. Like the noodles just not so much. Hope you enjoy more than I did.
(3)Carmen A.
First time here. Through yelps tips I had the homemade noodles and alot of other food items. We were pleasantly surprised. Everything was great and flavorful. We will definetly be back again.
(4)David N.
I like the food, but the service it horrible. I have tried eating in and delivery and in all cases the the staff had trouble understanding the order (the person on the phone had very limited english language skills). With the delivery , this has caused (on two separate occasions) our order to be completely wrong. When I complained, they only offered an apology and promptly hung up the phone on me. Good food or not, it's not worth the hassle. When you go inside the restaurant, there are odd coverings over all the places throughout the restaurant that has the old restaurant's name (which was Hutong). They also show that they accept American Express (on their website, on the carry out menus, and on the check holders in the restaurant). When you try to pay with American Express, then they tell you they don't accept it.....huh???
(1)Nancy E.
Omg went to dinner here and, I think I have found heave . the food tasted so fresh and so good and not to mention, the chengu dumplings yaaaaaaaa or the fusion spring rolls and the noodles hmmmmm ,again all I can say is this a favorite and it so affordable and the service is so awesome , will be going their again ,and again everyone need to try this place it is so awsome.
(5)M W.
Not a big fan of Chinese food AT ALL but my boyfriend is, so I gave it a try. The crab rangoon was delicious and gone pretty quickly. I had the dumplings afterwards, and they were kinda slimy and not at all good. My boyfriend didn't enjoy his meal either.
(2)Colin R.
I'm a loyal customer of Katy's. For the price, this is the best Szechuan you can get in the area. The spring rolls are fresh and delicious, and the portion size of their entree's are big enough to feed a small army. I usually walk away with a full stomach, a sub-10 dollar dent in my wallet, and a smile on my face.
(5)Bria D.
I work at an office down the street from this pace; so I decided to come here on my lunch break a few weeks ago. I walked in on a Friday during the lunch time rush, it was pretty crowded but not crazy. I was seated right way and given a menu and a glass of water. I glanced over the menu...they offer a wide variety of Chinese, Cantonese, and Thai food. I ordered the red Thai curry and it was delicious! This was my very first time having it and I was extremely satisfied; although I wish it was a bit spicier. My waiter was very attentive, and also quite handsome which was an added bonus. I will definitely be back.
(5)Parker L.
This place is average takeout at best. Came here after reading the yelp reviews and left wishing I ate somewhere else as there are so many better places in oak park. Had shredded pancake and dumplings. Came Luke warm to table. Overall meh.
(2)Marisol B.
My husband really enjoyed his Mongolian beef, I ordered a beef noodle soup but never actually got it. After asking for it again and seeing several people get theirs that had ordered after I had I decided it was time for us to leave. I really wanted to like this place but the service was bad.
(2)bill h.
My wife, grandson and I visited the new Oak Park location last night. Parking was easy -and free after 6- in the lot a few doors west. We didn't have reservations, but were immediately seated in one of the booths. My wife was impressed with the upholstery choice. I was less impressed with the clearance between seat back and table edge, way too small for my ample- but not freakishly so- girth. The young ladies were prompt and helpful- in a language limited way- to take the order. Chengdu dumplings from the appetizer menu. Order of 10 with dipping sauce. 8 Pork and chive dumplings and 4 steamed juicy buns from the main menu. Green beans were ordered as an afterthought. WOW Oh, and a bowl of rice for the four year old. Food came fast, hot, delicious, and plentiful. We ended up taking 5 (of 18) dumplings and 1 (of 4) of the steamed buns, along with about 1/4 of the beans home. Definitely worth a repeat visit. Most of the minor quibbles go back to the poor functionality of the design left over from the now-defunct Hutong Cafe. Small booth space and no sound/echo/noise controls. The only other place for improvement would be to implement some organization on the waitstaff service. They were understaffed and disorganized, but trying VERY hard. I've never seen a waitress literally run back to the counter. All in all I will be back.
(4)Kaz L.
I used to eat here a lot when it was Hutong, although the food was greasy but the favors were just right. So far I've been here twice ordered dumplings which was so soggy. The lettuce wrap has no flavor with big chunky meat pieces not anything I'd expect. We ordered miso soup for each of us, the waitress failed to mentioned that they're regular portion so we both got two big bowl of miso which didn't even taste like miso. That would be the last time we venture to this place.
(2)Nick J.
It's a must go place if I ever go out of Chitown, I loved their hand made noodles and the authenticity of their Szechuan food. However last time I went there and didn't find the excellent taste for their spicy food, not sure if the change of chef. anyhow, it's still good enough for some real Sichuan but just won't go back as often as before.
(4)K. E.
This place is weird but I'm definitely going to try it again and see what happens. The menu is enormous and really overwhelming, with very little description of any of the items. Next time I'm going to ask more questions. We tried some shrimp and chive dumplings which were delicious, a bowl of seafood noodle soup which was big enough for a family of four, and the shredded pancake with vegetables, unusual and really yummy (greasy though). I feel it's the kind of place you have to get your mind around over a few visits. The service was the big downer. It's set up for table service now (in a previous iteration there was ordering at the counter), but we had to ask for our tea three times, and in order to get a check and a container for our leftover soup, we had to get up from the table and find a server.
(3)Neuman K.
They need to hire people who can communicate and can speak english. The dumplings were greasy and bland. They still have the old decor from Hutong and covered it with paper. They need to change the decor and not just cover the old decor with Japanese paper. The cumin beef was dry like beef jerky. I doubt this place will continue to operate in Oak Park. Hutong was better than this new place.
(2)Dream T.
Like the beef noodle and dumpling here, for the beef noodle, it is still the best place outside the Chinatown, even in Chinatown, less than two places can compete with Katy's house
(4)Al O.
Very good noodles, nicely spicy choices on widely varied menu, not just the normal Chinese restaurant. We'll be going back, often.
(5)drew p.
Yum! We only do pick up,. The noodles are awesome as are the fennel dumplings.
(5)Hillary P.
I wish I could actually comment about the food at Katy's, but my husband and I didn't make it that far. We were excited to try out this place since we are growing weary at the food options in Oak Park. Plus, they had me at hand-pulled noodles. We went around 1:00pm on Sunday afternoon...during a Bears game. Needless to say it wasn't very busy. It smelled amazing in there, so we couldn't wait to eat. The booths along the wall were full so there were about 4-5 tables filled. We were sat right away...and that.was.it . The menu is huge and we took our time going through it. Not once did a sever, host, anyone come over to us and bring us water, ask if we had questions or take our order. We even did the obligatory close the menu, look at each other and look around. On a few occasions, the server brought food to the booths that butted up next to our table but, even though we willed her to come visit us, she didn't. So...we had a decision to make. One I've only made once or twice, to leave or not to leave. We left and went to Munch and had an awesome lunch/brunch. Sorry Katy's, we won't be back.
(1)Damian S.
Liked most things I've gotten, but do not get the beggars chicken, no flavor and dry, plus you need to be careful with the bones
(4)Sal K.
After trying this place a couple more times: the dishes are often too sweet and the other vegetarian items on the menu are usually more disappointing than the Buddha's Delight and the Fried Rice.
(3)Zac B.
i ordered takeout from this place. Mayo fried shrimp: no idea what that means but i got it and it was delicious. i also got various dumplings and noodles, all of which were awesome. chinese takout is pretty much the same everywhere but i give this place extra points because the food was still crispy and not a big sloppy mess of everything mixed together. Since i only order out from this place i have no idea how the service is but i can definatly see what other people are saying about bad service. For example, we called and placed our order, didn't take our name or phone number. When i showed up they asked for it but i said they never took it but luckily they had our food. however i could easily see that becoming a disaster. i will continue to order from here unless they screw up big time
(4)J J.
the service was mediocre, at best, and it wasn't busy at all. we came here last week...my chicken dish was good, but the portion wasn't what I thought it'd be, relative to the other Katy's dumplings locations I've been to. also, they didn't have any lunch specials on a weekday, which I've always been accustomed to, during the week. that's why I chose to go, because I assumed that to always be the case. my last gripe is, their smoothies were gross...we were told they only had 2 kinds of smoothies the day we went, and they were complimentary... because it was their version of a lunch special I guess. in any event, they were way too sweet. it wasn't necessary to add a bunch of sugar and/or corn syrup, to an already sweet drink. mangos are already naturally sweet to begin with...so, i was looking forward to, what I thought would be a an all-natural, refreshing drink. it also, didn't even taste like real sugar, so we didn't even drink our smoothies. all in all, would not come back.
(2)Lauren Q.
Delicious, and super quaint atmosphere. I told my hubby that I want my future home to look like e inside of this place someday. Food includes Chinese, Thai, Korean, and apparently even some Vietnamese- my dream restaurant! What we had was delicious. Laughed that they were playing Brazilian music in the background, but totally enjoyed it. Will love to go back.
(5)Nanook B.
Was really hopeful for a delicious new Chinese resteraunt in the area. The decor caught my eye and lured me in ... Sorry to say the service is enough to scare you out! How do you say "rude" in Chinese? May be if I knew how to communicate better I would have gained an once of courtesy or respect. Katy's Dumpling house is serving up plenty of rudeness accompanied by a side of " No Service". I inquired about hosting a private event and the staff was of absolutely NO help. No catering information, not even a tip on how to proceed! I ordered two large dishes to go and received two packets of sweet and sour sauce and soy sauce. The best one was when I asked for a couple of more, you would have thought I had asked for a Kidney. The female waitress flung an extra two packets in my hand after mumbling of how she already put some in the bag with a complete attitude. I did notice a slight service difference to my Caucasian counterpart. At least they were greeted when they walked in the door. Do I sense racial undertones? If so, Katy's Dumpling House you picked the wrong location for Buisness as this is the heart of Oak Park!
(2)Stella L.
Great noodle! Somewhat salty though
(4)Jerome H.
Far and away the best Chinese in the Oak Park area. The Chengdu dumplings alone make any potential problem with the service manageable. Anything stir-fried is a win - green beans, eggplant, any dish with pork in it - all worth getting. Best items would be dried chili chicken and szechuan twice cooked pork, although we're still scouting the menu.
(5)Melissah L.
When you come here, obviously get the dumplings and the noodles (it's a dumpling and noodle house, duh). Both are house-made and are fresh and delish! This location is right by my boyfriend's house in Oak Park, so I've been a handful of times and my favorites are: dan dan noodles shredded pancake beef noodle soup dumplings! (i've only tried pork and chive) The prices are pretty decent and the food great! If I lived closer it would be my go-to takeout place, wish they would open a restaurant in the city... (hint hint)!
(4)Emma S.
The food is gross. Granted I didn't get the dumplings but It was so nasty and I would never go back! Also I asked the waiter if the use peanut oil and he was so confused I had to repeat myself at least 3x. I'm pretty sure there was a huge language barrier. I would not recommend!!
(1)Sherry Y.
I adore Katy's, mostly because the noodles have this "QQ" chewy consistency I love and is pretty authentic. Noodles aside, I think some of the other dishes can be a bit overpriced, especially the dumplings. It seems a bit over the top, especially when I can make my own dumplings for mere dollars and achieve the same level of deliciousness for a more reasonable quantity. I recommend going with either the shredded pancake or a soup noodle dish as these offer more bang for your buck. Or more oodles of noodles? Whichever you prefer, you get more deliciousness! My favorite thing to get here has to be the beef noodle soup. While it is nothing like what you get in Taiwan (sorry Taiwanese friends and enthusiasts), this noodle soup is rich with beef stock, cilantro goodness and a generous douse of noodles in a huge bowl. While the stew is a bit on the salty side, the beef is always soft, melt-off-your-spoon amazing. Not to mention, the noodles are none too shabby, with just the right amount of chew and quite a resistance to sogginess. I also recommend the traditional Dan-Dan noodles or pork and pickled radish noodles. Both delicious as well, though a bit less spicy. Did you know that they're currently having a free smoothie with your main course during lunch? Love it, albeit the smoothies are less boba and more fruit freeze with sugar. Still, a great lunch combo to have with a hot bowl of noodles during the warmer months. I recommend a pass on the appetizers for the larger entrees and a complimentary smoothie. You won't regret a slurpy-noodle second of it.
(4)Chika S.
I agree with other reviews about the strange covered up display menus on the wall... I've gone a few times for Sunday lunch and it is pretty deserted too. The decor is contemporary and nice, service decent... Noodles and dumplings amazing!!! This is one if those places you need to know what to order and stuck with it. We all (5 of us) didn't like the shrimp and lobster or the hot and sour soup... Too starchy and gelatinous. But the wonton soup, fried noodle dishes, and crispy duck were really good. Free smoothies @ Sunday lunch... gotta love That! If we have a couple more good dishes I'll bump up my rating to 4 stars.
(3)Neftali P.
It took me quite a while to stop on in despite passing by so many times, but I found that there are quite a number of dishes that I admit are really authentic. (I should know, my fiancée is Chinese... :D ) I very highly recommend the beef noodle soup with tendon and, if you're daring, the stir-fried pork kidney! Service is always excellent, the manager and servers are very friendly. Definitely stop on by!
(5)Sherry Y.
I adore Katy's, mostly because the noodles have this "QQ" chewy consistency I love and is pretty authentic. Noodles aside, I think some of the other dishes can be a bit overpriced, especially the dumplings. It seems a bit over the top, especially when I can make my own dumplings for mere dollars and achieve the same level of deliciousness for a more reasonable quantity. I recommend going with either the shredded pancake or a soup noodle dish as these offer more bang for your buck. Or more oodles of noodles? Whichever you prefer, you get more deliciousness! My favorite thing to get here has to be the beef noodle soup. While it is nothing like what you get in Taiwan (sorry Taiwanese friends and enthusiasts), this noodle soup is rich with beef stock, cilantro goodness and a generous douse of noodles in a huge bowl. While the stew is a bit on the salty side, the beef is always soft, melt-off-your-spoon amazing. Not to mention, the noodles are none too shabby, with just the right amount of chew and quite a resistance to sogginess. I also recommend the traditional Dan-Dan noodles or pork and pickled radish noodles. Both delicious as well, though a bit less spicy. Did you know that they're currently having a free smoothie with your main course during lunch? Love it, albeit the smoothies are less boba and more fruit freeze with sugar. Still, a great lunch combo to have with a hot bowl of noodles during the warmer months. I recommend a pass on the appetizers for the larger entrees and a complimentary smoothie. You won't regret a slurpy-noodle second of it.
(4)Chris G.
I wanted to like this place. But definitely a disappointment. The dumpling were definitely homemade but the filling was poor quality and had a bit of a funk. The soup noodles were also bland and watered down. Tasted just like water and soy. Would be better with a homemade stock. Definitely can find better.
(1)Emily P.
So, I doubt this is very good Chinese food with the exception of the dumplings and hand-pulled noodles. But we like it for a guilty pleasure. I do recommend the dumplings highly. Service is mostly friendly but barely competent. We've experienced missing entrees and disappearing waitresses.
(3)Joshua N.
I'm saddened to not be able to give a better review to Katy's Dumpling House. This restaurant brings a highly specialized ethnic authenticity that Oak Park almost never sees. The Szechwan dishes, when prepared correctly, are some of the most accurate and palate pleasing you'll find outside of Chinatown. And "when prepared correctly" is the key here. After several visits, I still cannot believe how hit and miss the menu is. Some appetizers are good enough and some are amazing. Entrees range from terrible to kind of good. And the Szechwan specialities are either amazing, or... not quite right. Everything is so random. Examples: * The General Tao's chicken is very good. You wouldn't normally want to order such a common dish in a specialized Chinese restaurant such as this one, but it's what they are good at. * Yu Xiang Eggplant: This basic staple of Szechwan and Hunan is completely phoned in. The eggplant is too coarsely cut, and there's a complete lack of garlic sauce. China should sue this place for even using the term "yu xiang" so inaccurately. * The worst offender: the duck. Instead of being roasted in the Chinese tradition, it's *deep fried*. The result is so disgusting, my friends and I couldn't finish it. I don't think I've ever left duck on the plate before. * Hui Guo Rou (twice cooked pork) was the least authentic dish I've seen in ANY Chinese restaurant in a long time. Popular in mandarin restaurants around the world, this dish is so easy to make any beginner Chinese chef could pull it off. But what we got at our table recently was 1/4 cup of kind of rough shredded beef, topped with mounds and mounds of sliced leeks. And lots of salt. * The tripe and tendon appetizers were nearly perfect. Excellent examples of Szechwan dishes done right. Why can't the rest of the menu be prepared this well? Also, the service for dine-in is particularly unreliable. I've had the wrong order brought to me in the past, and on my last visit the wait staff just completely forgot to put in our second round of food orders -- without any apology or even a resigned shrug. If only there were a definitive guide as to what menu items are good and what are failures, I would go here more often, and perhaps award a higher review. One of my friends suggested that dishes with pre-made sauces tended to be better. I may go back at some point to test this theory.
(2)Annette A.
Their food can be great or just okay, I guess it depends on who their chef is or if they have the time to put in the effort. I ordered delivery today, and the food was good, we had dumplings and buns. But we ordered a smoothie with tapioca pearls, and they were hard on the inside. The smoothie tasted okay, I probably should have ordered mango instead of the strawberry, but again difficult to eat with tough tapioca.
(3)Amanda R.
I just moved to the area a couple months ago and Katy's is already one of my favorite places to eat. The dumplings are so good (I recommend the Chengdu and the Triple) and very reasonably priced (two people can eat here for under $30 quite easily). They do a lunch special where you get a free smoothie with your entree... the smoothies are very good, too. There are only a couple things that I don't really care for: - There is not a very good selection of drinks - the iced tea is pretty bad - They only give you one fortune cookie at the end of your meal even if there's two people at your table Improve these things and it'll be 5 stars all the way!!!
(4)Bo Y.
I live in oak park and katys is my go to for Chinese food in the area. Nothing else around oak park is even close, so if I don't have time to go to Chinatown katys gets the job done. The food is pretty good, though sometimes inconsistent-must be different chefs cooking the food. My favorite dishes are: shrimp with egg yolk pasted around 15 extra large shrimp shell on coated with egg yolk-Very authentic. Very delicious. Three chili fish very good though sometimes inconsistent. If it were slightly less oily I'd enjoy it more Fried rice- we ask for curry to be added to the fired rice for a Singaporean style. It's very good. Get the combo. The beef chicken and shrimp were all cooked very well. Large portions! Price is very fair, though attentiveness is sometimes not there regarding service service. Overall 4/5.
(4)Eric S.
Good spot for Chinese in Oak Park, whether you're dining in or carrying out. Katy's House 'o' Dumplings has consistently delivered on their food and friendliness, and I'm a fan of their decor. I want to note, though, that when they underwent a name/ownership change, the old restaurant title was still visible in places, so they plastered takeout menus to cover it up. A little goofy and tacky, but the awesome hanging paper lanterns and fishtank atone for this. Egg drop soup is good, but it's made with corn (wtf). The very first time I got it, I angrily thought out loud "who put corn in my soup?", Googled why this happened, and realized that something like 1 out of 10 places do this. Allllllrighty then. Crab rangoons are tasty, potstickers aren't bad, service over the phone is typically polite and relatively easy to understand. Most of their stuff is a decent value, although the kung pao chicken entree is considerably light on the chicken, heavy on the green peppers and peapods. Their take-home containers are terrific! I've probably accumulated 50 of them in the past year and a half. Best thing about this place? The terra cotta warrior standing guard at the entrance. Santa, if you're reading this, I want one of those larger-than-life statues for christmas this year. I've been a good boy......sort of.
(4)Rui C.
Hands down the best Chinese food in & around Oak Park. I moved to OP 6 months ago from southern California (aka, land of great Chinese food) and had trouble finding delicious & authentic Chinese food here. A friend of mine suggested Luo's, man oh man what a mistake that was! After being burned by Luo's, I was hesitant to try Katy's but a girl needs her beef noodle soup! Thank goodness Katy's did not let me down! All the dishes I've ordered from here so far tasted authentic and great, but a bit too salty. I recommend the beef noodle soup, the szechuan boiled fish, the stir fried hand pulled noodles with veggies, the cumin lamb, and the shiao long bao. The service here has been pretty good and consistent, so nothing to complain about. I will definitely be back & getting deliveries once it gets to be too cold to go outside.
(4)Shamoon K.
I got takeout from here over the weekend and was happy about one dish and disappointed about the others. Not one dish was bad though, just not anything good. First we got the Chengdu Dumplings with shrimp and they were ok. I was looking forward to this dish the most because with a name like Katy's Dumpling House, I thought that they would be amazing. Turns out they weren't. They were just standard normal fare dumplings. Next came the Cantonese Chicken Fried Noodles. The chicken was just boiled with no seasoning or sauce and just plopped on top of everything. Pretty bad. The rest of the dish was fine though. Lastly, we got the beef noodle soup. Which was great. The noodles were easily the highlight of the dish. Nice and chewy and think. Really soaked up the broth too. The beef pieces though, were extremely fatty and gelatinous so that sucked. Its not like I was unhappy with the overall food, just disappointed. I'll be trying other places from now on.
(3)Aimee M.
During my early days on Yelp, I jumped on the Katy's bandwagon when they just had the spot in Westmont. Now there are three locations. Since I frequent Oak Park regularly, I was hoping some of Katy's noodle magic found it's way to their OP location. The first time I visited we ordered take out--pork/chive potstickers and pan fried noodles with shrimp. Even after a 20 min drive home everything was still hot and delicious. The potstickers were plump and tasty, the wrapping slightly firm but not mushy at all. The noodle dish was flavorful, perfect texture, nice chew, not mushy either. The most recent time I dined solo for lunch and just wanted soup. I was the only one there which was fine so I could slurp away as loudly as I wanted. I didn't of course but the soup was mighty tasty. I ordered the Xiao Long Bao (Juicy steam buns) and an order of beef noodle soup. I recently had my first taste of XLB in HK and I became an instant fan so I'm trying to find places in Chicagoland that have them. Here's my tip: don't order them here. They were so gross. They weren't well made, the wrapping didn't hold up so all the "soup" ran out of it. The filling was mushy and didn't seemed cooked well enough. yuck. If I had to rate Katy's on the XLB alone it would get one star. But my past take out orders and their soup is really what saves them. The Beef Noodle soup was excellent. So many layers of flavor. There's cumin, then garlic and the heat of the chili just warms you up all over. The meat is tender and cooked well and the noodles--well the noodles were perfect. Service has always been friendly. I forgot my cellphone here and they even ran out to try to catch me.
(4)Lizzy C.
Not as good as Chinatown restaurants but good enough for a quick Asian style lunch. Beef noodle is the best if less salty.
(4)Craig S.
Second attempt at trying to eat at 8:30. Failed completely. If you stop seating early, note that on your hours. Don't say you're open until 9 if you aren't. I miss the old place before it became this travesty. I understand that the people that work there need to clean up and get home. That's not my point. My point is that if you stop seating people before 8:30, why on earth do you advertise your hours as 9? Say you close at 8:30, problem solved.
(1)Kathy S.
Been here a couple times - once picking up and another time for dine in. I prefer the Katy's in Westmont a lot more. Last time I went, the Chengdu dumplings and pork & chive potstickers were good but the other two items we tried were not so great. I prefer saltier foods but the dan dan noodles were waaay too salty. I actually ate the noodles with potstickers that I didn't dip in sauce to balance it out. I had the noodles at the other location and it was much better. The beef & scallion potstickers were underwhelming as well...reminded me more of an empanada due to the shredded beef and it was just odd (to me). Service is close to non-existent. We just flagged down the server to order, get refills, etc. He and two other employees were sitting in one of the booths playing on their laptop/tablets. Last thing to note. The time we did get pickup from them, one of the potstickers had a tiny metal ring embedded into it. If we didn't see it when we were eating, one of us could have easily choked on it.
(1)Monica S.
The restaurant at the Oak Park location takes the cake for being the most modernized Katy's Dumpling House chain. It doesn't feel as homey as the Westmont or Naperville locations, nor is the bathroom awkwardly situated in the back of the kitchen like at the Westmont location. However, my food was only decent. I ordered a vegetarian chow fun, which turned out to be somewhat mushy. The pancakes were slightly more oily than I expected. My friend ordered the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) which were soggier than usual; in fact, one ripped open in the bamboo steaming basket. Our waiter did give consistent water refills but failed to clean up spilled water on the floor next to my table. Someone could slip from the puddle! Overall, if you want to visit a more upscale Chinese place but can settle for average Chinese food and okay service, then Katy's Dumpling House is a decent option. Otherwise, I'd go to the other 2 locations.
(3)Scott S.
Everything was so fresh and Delilah. The fried noodles are hand pulled. Scallion pancakes on the way. I could eat here once a week happily and keep exploring the menu
(5)Jackie W.
My husband is obsessed with this place. Honestly, I don't like any Chinese cuisine really but this place we frequent and I actually really enjoy it. Their ingredients are super fresh, the meals are seasoned perfectly and their interior of the space is lovely. They allow you to BYOB but we've never done it, usually we go for lunch - I keep reminding us to try drinks for dinner :) Our kiddos really like it too, and they seem to be patient enough with them. Which is super important to us. I recommend the fried noodles and the dumplings with chicken and bok choy are amazing.
(5)Jo B.
Underwhelming, given the high hopes I had for Katy's. We ordered sesame chicken, pot stickers, and crab Rangoon. The Rangoon is the only thing I would order again. Nothing was bad, but everything was just bland. I will stick to my usual Chinese place.
(3)Darci A.
Takeout- phone order: I had tried to explain what I wanted because there are so many items on the menu and none that I could find to match the yummy yelp pics I'd seen... so I ordered the "pan fried noodles with beef and extra vegetables". I was almost given fried rice but luckily I corrected the order that was read back to me. The food was ready in 10 minutes and it was really good, however a bit oily for my taste and I didn't get any veggies in the meal. The egg rolls were really good. I would definitely eat here again, I just need to figure out how to order. I wish the menu had better descriptions for newbs like me! I also tried to go back around 9:30 with a friend and the kitchen had closed...I hate people who come late too but I was under the impression the kitchen was open til 10 on Fridays. If you want to order food be sure to get there at least an hour before the kitchen closes I guess.
(3)Rosa J.
Ok, this is a review that I wish yelp allowed me to rate the food and service, separately. However, that isn't an option to do so. I'll try my best to explain why I gave four (4) stars even though this rating wasn't justified in terms of atmosphere and service. 1) the service was virtually non-existent: they gave you water and asked you if you were ready to order. That was it! Why didn't this bother me? I know Chinese too well. They don't have the culture to earn tips through service and there's no need tip them if you don't feel like. Nevertheless, it's unfortunate that they don't run the business like Americans would. It doesn't mean that they were rude or disrespectful. If you need something, just ask. Make sure they understand because I don't think any of them speaks good English. I used Chinese the entire time; it makes everything so much easier. 2) the food was actually good: I order the shrimp & chive dumplings, beef noodle soup, and sautéed string beans. They weren't the best I ever had, but for the neighborhood standard, they were great. It's located in Oak Park, so I don't think there's another Chinese restaurant (perhaps some fast-food joints like "see-thru"...you know what I meant). I know they do take-out orders and delivery. Therefore, this is a good option for you at your convenience if you don't care about the service for dining in. 3) I agree with the fellow yelpers that the decorations were tacky. They tried to cover up the name under the previous ownership, maybe? I should have left the wall blank rather than utilizing their menus to make "fans" out of them. Their work of art was just unattractive. The entire experience was good. Once again, I came here for the good and I've got what I wanted. I never expect any service whatsoever out of a Chinese restaurant. I'm just that matter-of-fact. If you care about the service portion of dining in, don't go there or do carry-out, plain and simple.
(4)Nick C.
Great local asian cuisine. We followed the consensus by going with the shrimp and chive dumplings and they did not disappoint... delicious! We also went with the sesame chicken which was among the best we've had. Beef and broccoli was a good dish (typical beef and broccoli), the pork and chive dumplings were good as well. We have dined in and taken out. Eating in is nice, the place is clean and updated, service was great. They do have old menus on the wall sort of half assedly covered up from what I assume to be a prior establishment which was a little funky, but harmless. We've also ordered delivery, which was quick and the food was hot.
(5)Christine D.
We love Katy's food and either eat in or order out at least once a month. We have made it a goal to try different things each time since the menu is so eclectic and "pan" Asian. Nothing else in OP compares to quality of food hands down. only issue is that the service can be very inconsistent. I think that 50% of the time we have what I would call acceptable service. I now know what to expect so I "manage" the service in my own way - by ordering everything at once, by telling them to bring me the bill when they are serving the food, etc. On carryout orders, do not expect food to be ready until at least twice as long as they tell you on the phone. 10 min=20 min etc. and you must open up your bag and check that they got it right and didn't forget anything. one funny/strange incident - we ordered beef tendon appetizer which my husband learned to like from having Korean college roommates. The waiter brought it to our table and was about to set it down, then did an abrupt about face and took it to another table occupied by Asian customers. They told him that they didn't order it and he consulted his paper and sheepishly brought it back to our table, with the comment, "I didn't think white people would order this." we got a kick out of it but it was not something he should have said out loud!
(4)Michelle L.
I'm upset about the review I have to write on this place. I have been here a bunch of times, and they have AWESOME dumplings (chengdu are my fav) however, the last few times I've come the service has gotten worse and worse. They have never had outstanding service, but it was okay enough that I didn't feel negative about it. The last time my boyfriend and I came in he ordered the 3 Chili Chicken. They made a mistake and brought him 3 Cups Chicken. Our waiter did apologize, but instead of offering to get him the correct dish, he said "just try it, you will like it". He didn't like it, and we came to find later on our bill that it's more expensive than the original dish he wanted. Okay, so we love the dumplings enough that we decide we can go back, we just have to be clearer when we order. So we went today and first off our waitress was wearing a winter peacoat and scarf, completely unprofessional (and its June?) and we were the only customers in there. Then they forgot about our dumplings, that we ordered as an appetizer, so I kindly reminded her, after calling out to get her attention, and we got them after our entrees came out. She did not bother to check on us once, and did not refill my water until we paid the bill. While we ate our meal, there were two other servers present, sitting in a booth with her having social hour, their phone kept ringing and no one got to it with any urgency. I'm just really disappointed because their dumplings as I said are great, and they're really cheap and BYOB, but I will never eat in there again. There's still a shred of hope for carry out, but I'm not even sure about that.
(2)Katie C.
Not just another Chinese restaurant. They offer Korean dishes and what looks like Thai dishes to me. I had the Buddha vegie dinner with rice and the vegetables were the freshest I've ever had. And those shitake mushrooms were out of this world! My new go to for Asian cuisine!
(5)Tamera B.
So, I had lunch here and it was just ok. The food was tasty, but portions small and service lacking. I tried the Mongolian Beef and wonton soup. I dined alone and there we only 2-3 more parties in the restaurant, but my server kept getting lost for long periods of time. So I had to ask for my water to be refilled a couple of times and ask for my check. I observed my server sitting at a booth in the back of the restaurant looking at a laptop, laughing, and having a jovial time with another worker much of time. So, I had to just ask anyone that I saw walking by when I needed something. The Mongolian Beef and soup were both good, but due to the service mishaps, I probably won't stop by this place again.
(3)K A.
We moved from Seattle last year and really miss the Asian food. Sadly for us the Naperville restaurant closed so now we have to drive all the way to Oak Park for juicy steamed dumplings....definitely worth it though! As another reviewer mentioned, they are very patient with kids which is definite bonus. Our toddler loves the sautéed green beans and noodles.
(5)Hector D.
I really enjoyed the food here. Everything was tasty and fresh. We ordered: scallion pancakes, shrimp and chive pot stickers, orange chicken, and Singapore noodles. The restaurant itself is nice as well and our server was friendly. I would recommend it for sure.
(4)James B.
We moved to Oak Park a year ago and are still searching for a go-to Chinese restaurant. Katy's was the next on our list, and unfortunately - our search continues. To summarize our food experience- Egg rolls: DONT ORDER. They just have the generic frozen ones that they buy by the box and warm up for you. They do not make homemade egg rolls. If you like these cabbage-only egg rolls go to Costco and buy 100 of them for $3.29. At Katy's you get 2 for $2.50. Pot Stickers: They allegedly specialize in these (and dumplings). They weren't bad, but they didn't blow me away. They are pot stickers, nothing more. Sesame Chicken. The meat itself wasn't bad, but it was a run-of-the-mill dish you could achieve at Panda Express. Pan fried noodles with pork. Not bad .. lots more sauce than meat. All in all it was all just very average. But it definitely wasn't cheap. I like the online ordering but I don't like the $3.50 delivery charge ... Unless you live within walking distance of the restaurant you're gonna get charged this.. I live 1.1 miles away and apparently that 4 minute drive warrants a delivery charge.
(2)Laurie B.
This review is for service (or lack there of) during our recent visit. The food was great. The service was not at all friendly. Today for my family's visit, our server never smiled, greeted us or even made eye contact with us. Our food was great--Dan Dan noodle rocks as did the pickled cabbage pork noodle soup. We had to flag someone down for water. There was zero interaction during our meal. I generally don't like being interrupted, but this was extreme. When we were finished eating, our server never looked at us or thanked us for coming. We paid and even left a decent tip--I'm regretting that decision as she did not deserve it and certainly was not grateful.
(2)Veronica X.
Reading previous reviews, I understand Katy's Dumpling House took over the space of a Chinese restaurant called Hutong in Oak Park at least 8 months ago and most if not all the décor were left intact. The first poster on the wall closest to the door described "hutong", the iconic narrow alleys in historic Beijing that are on the verge of extinction which the previous restaurant borrowed their name from. What Katy's did to this poster is to paste over every word of "hutong" with a sloppy hand-written "Katy's Dumpling House" on a crappy piece of paper. The whole poster no longer makes any sense. Take it down already! Unfortunately the food almost matched the lack of pride and respect for craftsmanship shown in the plastered-over poster. We ordered pot stickers (pan-fried dumplings), Dan Dan Noodles, Yuxiang Eggplant and left the restaurant with most food untouched. The pot stickers were average, even compared to most Chinese restaurants NOT specializing in dumplings; both made with hand-pulled noodles, the Dan Dan Noodles was less soupy (good) than Katy's Westmont location and has different toppings, but neither have much depth of flavor beyond spiciness; I didn't taste much flavor in the undercooked eggplant either, besides a little spiciness and sweetness. If you are into noodles and spicy food, Katy's may still be worth a try. Me? I am giving up on self-proclaimed authentic Szechuan restaurants, no matter how many seemingly authentic items listed on the menu.
(2)Angela C.
It says Katy's Dumpling House on the outside of the building and Hutong Cafe on the inside. Either way, I'm eating here again. The noodle is such an integral part of Asian cuisine and the fact that they hand stretch their noodles daily and make fresh dumplings daily is a huge plus! Massive respect from me. We got the boiled pork and bok choy dumplings and they were delicious. I got the chenghu Dan Dan noodles that was a sure winner with its spice level and baby bok choy. My wife got the chicken fried noodles. She added sriracha to it because we are spice junkies, but I tried a bite before she put it on and it had a beautifully subtle flavor. If you don't like spice, but you want a good authentic fried noodle dish, this simple one will do. The service wasn't fantastic, but it was towards the end of the night and they were still super sweet. And the food was great. They deliver too. Plus!
(4)Maggie G.
The food here is pretty good, satisfies a Chinese food craving. No liquor license at the Oak Park location so don't order something so spicy a Tsingtao beer is required.
(3)Melissah L.
When you come here, obviously get the dumplings and the noodles (it's a dumpling and noodle house, duh). Both are house-made and are fresh and delish! This location is right by my boyfriend's house in Oak Park, so I've been a handful of times and my favorites are: dan dan noodles shredded pancake beef noodle soup dumplings! (i've only tried pork and chive) The prices are pretty decent and the food great! If I lived closer it would be my go-to takeout place, wish they would open a restaurant in the city... (hint hint)!
(4)Emma S.
The food is gross. Granted I didn't get the dumplings but It was so nasty and I would never go back! Also I asked the waiter if the use peanut oil and he was so confused I had to repeat myself at least 3x. I'm pretty sure there was a huge language barrier. I would not recommend!!
(1)Weisun C.
A late lunch on a weekday was my first visit here with a veteran customer. While I'm familar with steamed or deep-fried dumplings (Cantonese "gui loam") or pan-fried pot stickers, my first boiled dumplings would be at this Katy's, within view of the famed Lake Theater. The cock's-comb-shaped pouches were made from a rather thick sheet of dough. The texture reminded me of Polish perogis, which are also boiled. Ours were the shrimp and chive variety (8 to the order). The dipping soy-based sauce is definitely recommended. We split two main dishes, a relatively mild "Stir-fried Shredded Pancake" with chicken, and a fiery hot "Chengdu Dan Dan Noodle." Both hold surprises for even careful menu readers. Since there is no whole pancake with that first dish, what you get is the pancake cut into long strips. The noodle dish from the Sichuan region of China is super spicy owing to the chili oil and Sichuan peppers (mainly the seeds) used. It's listed on the menu under the grouping, "Noodle Soup," but there is no soup involved. Both go well with the steamed white rice. But the Dan Dan Noodles you have to be prepared for! There is also minced pork under those spicy noodles. Both dishes were finely executed and well presented. Lots more here to return for (an 8-panel menu full of tempting items). Besides Chinese items, there are Korean and Thai dishes. Lots of items "in Chengdu Style" too. The spicy/peppery items are shown with little pepper symbols of warning. To slake those fiery tastes, they offer fruity smoothies and ice cream. Despite their name, Katy's main specialty is their handmade noodles.
(4)JS T.
We always go to the original Westmont location, which is where everything is made (noodles, dumplings, etc.) Unfortunately, we had a craving on a Monday, and the Naperville and Westmont locations were closed. A bit disappointing. A few thoughts: 1. The noodles are still as a good as the original. Very chewy, cooked perfectly, and I felt the portion was about the same, but my husband thought it was less than the Westmont location. 2. They water down the beef soup (much more potent at Westmont) and I think they add MSG because I was pretty thirsty afterwards. They also put chopped raw garlic in the soup, which is weird because it's supposed to be fried or at least cooked down a bit. 3. Generally I don't expect much with service at a Chinese restaurant, but it was pretty poor since we showed up on at 2:00 in the afternoon and the hostess/waitress was leisurely cutting green beans and chatting with her friend while the one server had to take our order and clear the 5-6 tables that needed to be bussed. I felt bad for him. The unbussed tables also made the restaurant feel kind of grungy. 4. Prices are more expensive than Westmont, though I expect because renting the space is more (Westmont is more hole in the wall interior). Final conclusions: Probably won't return to this location unless I'm craving the noodles (really can't find anything as good anywhere else) and it's a Monday. Otherwise, I'm better off waiting to go to the original.
(3)Sarah S.
Had to add an update to my last review since we have tried the delivery service several times now. Would NOT recommend using delivery from here. Despite living less than 5 miles away it has never taken less than an hour to receive the delivery. The last time it took nearly 2 hours, which was the last straw. I will still go to Katy's to dine in, as it is still by far the best Chinese food in Oak Park. I will no longer use the delivery option.
(5)Kelsey H.
It was the attractive decor that drew my husband and I in on a cold afternoon of Christmas shopping..... Sadly, it was the former Hutong's tasteful decor and not Katy's. In fact, the only changes they made was taping their take-out menu over anything that said "Hutong" or pieces of paper that said "Katy's Dumpling House." Then of course, you finally realize that the pictures of yummy food are Hutong's too! Classy. Service was spotty. We were seated and brought water, no straws. We sat and sat and watched different people walk past before someone finally stopped to get our order. Our waiter never introduced himself or anything. Many times we waited and waited to get our waters refilled. We shared crab rangoons which were really good. The dipping sauce they bring out (spicy mustard and sweet and sour) were both pretty spicy but came out in little jars that are obviously shared among many many people. And everyones using the same little spoon to put on their food... We also shared shrimp and chive steamed buns and chicken shredded pancake. The steamed buns were..okay... The bun itself was good but it was literally just straight shredded chives and a piece of shrimp. Way too much chive. And I really like chives! The shredded pancake was really good but the chicken made it inedible. It was clearly cooked days ago and then microwaved and it just had that awful microwave taste... We couldn't eat it. I did pick out pieces of the pancake that was good though. Won't be back.
(2)Robby K.
A great place for warm soup on a cold winter night. Go in there with a game plan such as splitting a spicy Korean beef and tofu soup and sharing 2 orders of dumplings (as we did). I preferred the pork chive pot sticker. The gf liked shrimp and chive boiled dumplings better. FYI dumplings and pot stickers are the same things :) I'm excited to go back for bao buns and traditional duck vermacelli among other duck options. We'll definitely be back a ton and will grab carry out occasionally. Why 4 stars? Because I am still not sure if they serve alcohol, or if they byob? They had wine glasses behind the cashier.. After dining in, taking a menu home, I still dont know their booze sitch.
(4)Jess C.
I'm all about the noodle and this place delivers just that! I've had the steamed dumplings to Dan Dan noodles to pad Thai to the beef noodle soup. And I recommend them all! My only beef with them is their service is slow but friendly. Parking is close by right next to Pier One.
(4)Matt M.
I'll preface my review with - I am not the biggest dumpling person in the world. But the dumplings here are good enough to make any person who is luke warm on dumpling satisfied and often makes you crave them later. The only downside seems to be the other food. And by downside I mean average. It would serve them well to take the next step and make the quality of their non-dumpling focused foods and make them as awesome as dumplings.
(4)Linda B.
Have had delivery here a few times, no problem. Tonite, the receipt had been stapled to the wrong order. Seems to be cleared up..they actually picked it back up...and are sending out the correct order. BUT no credit/ discount for the fact we had to eat two hours late or for the hassle. My husband asked and was told to mention it next time and we will get free appetizers. As if there will be a next time! Zilch customer service Post script...got our order, no rice for one of the dishes!!! Awful
(1)Holly A.
I'm so confused by the low ratings. This is my favorite restaurant of any kind in Oak Park, and the solid quality + large menu gives me lots of reasons to keep coming back. As others have said, the noodles are handmade and really special compared to other restaurants' noodle dishes. Some of my other favorites: * Dumplings of any kind -- they're handmade and awesome. * Three-chili chicken -- like little bits of sweet, spicy boneless fried chicken. * Yushan eggplant -- there aren't a lot of vegetable dishes on the menu, but this one makes up for it. * Cucumber with garlic -- served cold, a great appetizer. I'm sure there are lots more winners. I promise to keep trying new ones to see.
(5)Deena H.
Vegetable Fried rice is really good and had whole pieces of broccoli and pea pods. The Orange chicken was not good in my opinion but the general tsaos was really good and spicy too. Crab Rangoon is average. They don't give enough sauce with delivery so remember to ask them in advance.
(3)Char Y.
the food quality varies depends on the day. the beef noodle soup is always solid, although the meat quantity has definitely gone down through the years. the other dishes are questionable at best due to quantity and taste. the dumplings are still great!
(3)Sol A.
Walked in late one evening about 9pm. Even though they were cleaning up to close they never hurried us. Not only was the food was wonderful the service was good as well. Their veggie dishes are so creative and the flavors were excellent. We of course had to try the dumplings. They're huge and tasty. Every time I've eaten here the food has been spot on. Good choice if you're in the mood for something different. Stop in. They wouldn't disappoint.
(3)Katherine M.
I have ordered from here so many times and its been great. Last night ruined it. I always order extra sauce with my dumplings and crab Rangoon. However, last night I wasn't even given one. Not even the packets. There were two, yes two soy sauce packets in the bag for a decent sized order. Seriously ? Oh, and the sweet and sour chicken was so soggy it was inedible. What a waste of money !!!!
(1)Yvonne B.
Super cute and comfortable interior design. I've never seen anyone at the host(ess) station up front so it's really not clear what to do. The primary server man is a sweetie but struggles with understanding and speaking English. The food is good, but some dishes are standouts: - Pork & Chives Dumplings - Orange Chicken - Sesame Chicken - Three Chili (Chicken) - Smoothies M thinks they charged $9 for my smoothie. It was HUGE, but it was only supposed to be $4. Don't know if M was mistaken or what. Just keep an eye out. Oh - they're BYOB which is important because they really don't have a lot in the way of beverages. Like, they have pop, water, and smoothies.
(4)Timothy T.
Very good Chinese food, possibly no MSG. Fresh tasting, lean meats and very good veggies. Inside scoop: The best mango shake I've had in a few years (since being on a mango farm in SE Asia). Sit back, relax and enjoy. Oh, and say hi to the replica terra cotta statue for me (photo op!)
(5)Tzeittle C.
Great service and okay food. We got the scallion and shrimp dumplings and they tasted good but we're a little "too wet" for my liking. The strawberry smoothie was great, though!
(3)claire r.
Terrible delivery service! We just ordered. It took over an hour and a half to come to our house. I called twice. The first time they said the driver was out with our food. Called 20 mins later to cancel my order since it still hadn't arrived and was told bc it was out with the driver that they couldn't refund. They said the driver left 30 MINUTES AGO and they would call and have him 'go to our house first'. Umm it was already sitting in the car for at least 30 mins! The food did arrive. It was fine. The pot stickers were terrible - perhaps because they sat for god knows how long. So, so frustrating. How can a restaurant not have figured out how to deliver promptly.
(1)Jomel R.
Best word to describe the food here is greasy. The beef noodle soup has a thick layer of oil, the salt and pepper crispy tofu is served sitting in oil, and the Mongolian beef is made with a sauce that's mostly oil. Second best word would be bland. I've given this place way too many chances just because it's a few blocks away, but the food is just not good and is pricey for the portions they give. I'd rather go to panda express.
(1)Rees S.
This place has pretty quickly become a standby in our family repertoire for dining out locally. Everything we have tried has been decent, but the standout items we keep ordering are the green curry shrimp with green beans and broccoli, the kung pao chicken and the three cups chicken, which my teenage son cannot get enough of. We usually get dumplings and pot stickers as appetizers. The service is cheerful and pleasant and this is a good choice for a family dinner out that doesn't break the bank.
(4)David S.
Couldn't stand Hutong, the MIL suggested that now it was full-on Katy's it was better - she was right! Excellent Chicken Chow Fun and the spicy Fried Tofu. The dumplings we had were a bit mushy, sitting in a sad little pool of water in the dish. I still gave it 4 stars because it is the best Chinese in Oak Park! Probably will just use for delivery from now on, but glad it's here!
(4)Janet J.
A take out order, and maybe we should have tried the dumplings at Katy's Dumpling House. Our appetizers were quite good. We had egg rolls and pot stickers. Our entrees (ginger shredded duck and garlic black pepper beef) were way too salty and we wound up throwing them out. Many better Chinese food options in Oak Park.
(2)Labor U.
Traveling salesman eat all over the country. For what I got and what I paid unbalanced. Fast food in a nice neighborhood. Average to fair food. ordered the noodle soup. Nice sesame taste 3 shrimp in a huge bowl of noodles. Like the noodles just not so much. Hope you enjoy more than I did.
(3)Carmen A.
First time here. Through yelps tips I had the homemade noodles and alot of other food items. We were pleasantly surprised. Everything was great and flavorful. We will definetly be back again.
(4)Joshua H.
Whenever I directly pick out a place to eat, we always end up not enjoying it. I'm sad to note that Katy's was no exception to this rule. I was initially attracted to this place by the name and how the building looked. Based on the decor it looked like a really nice, modern Asian restaurant. After we got inside and looked around it quickly became apparent that the decor belonged the restaurant that was there prior, Hutong. You could tell because there were pieces of white paper with "KATY'S DUMPLING HOUSE" written in sharpie plastered over every sign where "Hutong" had been written prior. We were seated quickly enough, but it seriously took around 15 minutes for someone to bring us water and take our order. That's with them walking past our table 4-5 times. It wasn't like the place was packed. We were seated behind the only other people there. Coming to a dumpling house we decided we should probably try the dumplings. So along with our staple of crab rangoon we got shrimp and chive dumplings and something called a chicken stir-fried shredded pancake. The crab rangoon came out right away and was good. The cream cheese inside wasn't overly sugared or anything and the crab meat was actually real crab and not the imitation stuff. It was all fried perfectly too. They brought with it two sauce dishes, one was sweet and sour and the other was soy sauce. I thought the sweet and sour sauce was really good and had a nice little kick to it. Next came the dumplings. The dumplings honestly were just straight salad shrimp stuffed into a wonton wrapper with a like a billion chives. They didn't really have any seasoning to them. The flavor wasn't bad, I just expected a bit more. The last thing to come out was our chicken stir-fried shredded pancake. The vegetables inside were good, as was the shredded pancake. If you ate those individually you were in the clear. The chicken however is a whole different story. It just tasted like a mixture between freezer burn and extreme microwave. I'm someone who will cook a plain chicken breast in the oven and then microwave it for lunch the next day, and I thought it was too microwaved. I don't really know how to conclude this review. I really couldn't find much to redeem this place. It's not somewhere I'd go again.
(1)Thomas C.
Really would give it 4 1/2 stars. There are some pretty decent Chinese spots in Oak Park, North star being the most notable, but had always wanted to check out Katy's other location because we love dumplings/potstickers. So on a whim on a sunday decided to get carry out and we were not disappointed. We tried the Fish and pork and chive potstickers, DELICIOUS. Mongolian Beef was the best I've had, and we tried the chicken cantonese noodles which were as good as everything else. Next we will dine in, but great first impression.
(4)Simon R.
We are frequent flyers in this restaurant and like the food ( 4 stars for the food itself ). The problem are the bathrooms - they are filthy even when the restaurant opens. There is simply no excuse for overflowing garbage cans at the start of the business day. ZERO stars for bathroom cleanliness. Let's hope that the state of the bathrooms is not duplicated in the kitchen....which is just across a narrow hallway from the bathrooms.....
(2)Uriel B.
I called this place as soon as I was off work. I figured the food would be there by the time I got home. I almost always give restaurants a good chance at proving me wrong even when I am a bit picky. I got home and still waited up to an hour and a half after I had ordered. I live less than 4 blocks away. I called and asked what was taking so long, being that I live pretty close. I was put on hold for a couple of minutes while they discussed calling the delivery driver. After a while. I was hung up on. I called back immediately and asked again what the situation was. "10 minutes, driver is down the street". I called back after 10 minutes and the people answering the phone put the phone down argued that the order had not even been made and hung up. I called back. Cancelled the order. So I ordered from elsewhere. 20 minutes later the driver calls and says he is outside. This is the worst communication I have ever had with a restaurant so close. As stated by other reviewers, the service is horrible.
(1)Rose C.
Finally tried the actual restaurant. The two stars are for the beautiful interior. The cheap-o covering of the former "Hutongs" name everywhere is well, funny, but at the same time incredibly unprofessional, and reflects badly on the newer owners. I mean, taped up, hand written Katy's Dumplings over all the very professionally done signs? In such a beautiful space? I kind of prefer the hole-in-the-wall Katy's in Westmont, at least it is very clear that decor is not what the place is about. Still, I looked forward to my lunch. It was a hot day, so I didn't have my usual beef tendon noodle soup. Instead, I had beef stir fry. Sadly, it was impossibly oily, super sweet, and otherwise bland and tasteless. The dish I ordered was supposed to be a spicy dish. The texture of the noodles was great, though, as always, I loved the noodles. Not thinking I'll be back, but I'll go out to Westmont for sure, even though the OP location is certainly much closer and very beautiful.
(2)Jackie K.
Had a great date night out with my husband here this past weekend. The food was amazing and I highly recommend their hand pulled noodles - delicious. The BYOB we should have planned for but either way we'll be back and ready. Good for dates, family friendly and friends - huge menu, too.
(5)Dream T.
Like the beef noodle and dumpling here, for the beef noodle, it is still the best place outside the Chinatown, even in Chinatown, less than two places can compete with Katy's house
(4)Al O.
Very good noodles, nicely spicy choices on widely varied menu, not just the normal Chinese restaurant. We'll be going back, often.
(5)drew p.
Yum! We only do pick up,. The noodles are awesome as are the fennel dumplings.
(5)Izzy N.
I've been meaning to try Katy's dumplings for a couple years now so I'm glad to see there's a new location in oak park. Behold: bouncy, nicely seasoned noodles with a slight chew. How noodles are meant to be. With just enough vegetables and plump shrimp. Spoon on generous amounts of chili oil/paste... Delicious. Fucking. Delicious. They made for good left overs too! We had the shredded pancakes also and they were fantastic. Nice little wok char marks. Pour on some chili oil and it's perfect. I would get those two again immediately. It was a great meal but noooooo I made sure we rounded out the meal with a couple more dishes for good measure. We also had their salt and pepper squid which was barely average at best- I wouldn't get that again- I've yet to find any place in the midwest that can do that dish any justice but their chive and shrimp dumplings were pretty good. You can get them steamed or fried potsticker style and we opted for the potstickers. Hello, fried.. that's music to my ears! They're plump but watch out, they're really juicey and a good amount of broth from the filling would squirt out and these weren't even the soup dumplings. Dip it in their vinegary soy dipping sauce and add in a heaping spoonful of chili oil.. you're golden. I was pretty happy with our meal- for the first time in a long time I didn't feel like I had put a lighter to my money - wasting it on garbage. It's an awful feeling. They provide chili oil if you ask for chili sauce so maybe next time I'll just bring a little bottle in my bag. Service was efficient and just nice enough without being overbearing. Great cuz I'm here to eat. I don't expect to be coddled like a newborn infant when dining out especially in an Asian restaurant. You live in Oak park so who are you to be a snob suddenly... puh-leez Needless to say, I'll be returning very soon! Noodles! It's all about the hand pulled noodles!! Do it! Almost as good as my beloved du kuh bees! Oh and free wifi. Sweet.
(5)Chris J.
Had lunch here once before and liked it alot. Went back for a second taste and didn't like it so much. Orange Beef had no heat and no orange flavor to speak of. ordered the Seame Chicken and found it flavorless and seemed to be coated with the same sugar sweet sauce the orange beef was? The soups were just ok and the steamed bun was bland.
(2)Kai K.
I ordered from Katy's based on the good Yelp reviews, but good God, it was quite possibly the worst Chinese food I've ever eaten. I swear to you, I seriously feel cheated that I paid money for it. It tasted like somebody who'd never cooked a meal in their life simply pulled up a few easy Chinese recipes online and then proceeded to flavor them with garbage. Both my wife and I are bewildered as to how this place is even open. We threw most of it out, and I feel like I should also post a sign by my trashcan when I take it out to the street so as to warn away any freegans who might come by.
(1)Allison R.
Decor: Katy's has leftover decor from Hutong which is great because that's the only thing I liked about that place. It is a little strange to see they've literally just taped paper over the old name on the posters on the wall, but oh well. Be careful as you're walking in the front door because I've accidentally run into to the PF Chang-look-a-like statue on multiple occasions. Service: It's on the slow side and you will probably have to ask for more drinks. However, I find a common theme in most good Asian sit down restaurants is crappy decor and slow service. If it bugs you to have to wait a bit longer than usual try them at lunch or do delivery. Food: The shrimp and chive dumplings are amazing and filling enough to have that be your entree. I've had both the steamed and the pan fried versions and they were both delicious. The shredded pancake is also very good. It's a noodle dish with lots hand pulled noodles. All of their dishes are pretty decently priced too. Overall: It's so nice to finally have good Chinese food in Oak Park, even if you do have to wait a little longer to get it. They are also BYOB with no corking fee.
(4)Miles S.
I wish I could give this place 5 stars, but SLOW customer service time and time again doesn't deserve 5 stars. The food on the other hand is OUTSTANDING! Pleasantly surprised at the great tasting food. Do yourself a favor and order takeout so you don't have to deal with slow and unattentive waiters. Pan fried noodles are always fresh and delicious! Servings for the noodles are massive and will feed you for more than one meal. Dumplings are also to die for. The food deserves a 5, the service deserves a 1.
(4)Michael C.
This is my go to chinese restaurant in oak park, and I love the fact that it tastes so authentic. Please do yourself a favor and order one of their noodle dishes, but make sure that it's one where they use their own noodles! The noodles here are so a perfect texture and have a slight chewiness that you certainly don't find everywhere. I'm a big fan of the Dan Dan Noodles although they are quite spicy. Their stir fried shredded pancake is also I believe homemade and delicious as well. The fresh vegetables used and the amount of meat makes it a great pick. Overall very great food here. It doesn't get 5 stars from me because it is pretty expensive for chinese food, but I guess when you hand make a lot of your own food, c
(4)Pieter W.
As much as I love visiting Chicago's Chinatown district, I used to always wish that there was a local establishment that served delicious, authentic Chinese dishes, especially Sichuaneze. Thanks to Katy's, it's just a few blocks down the street! You can't go wrong with the hand-pulled noodles, and I highly recommend the homemade dumplings and pot stickers. And if you like spicy food don't miss out on the beef or shrimp in spicy Szechuan sauce, it's loaded with flavor! Seriously, you WILL NOT find better Chinese food outside of Chinatown!
(4)Adam K.
How this place has such good reviews is beyond me. Horrendous service, with our waitress frequently walking past our table without acknowledging us. In fact, I don't think she once the interacted with us without being flagged down first. The food itself is not offensive. If the service were even mediocre I might come here again. That said, I ordered sesame chicken, but the waitress set it in front of me and called it sesame beef; upon eating it, neither my wife nor I could say definitively which it was. So there's that. Also, the ambiance: The restaurant is clean and well appointed overall. BUT, Katy's took over for the failed Hutong Cafe, and didn't even bother to change or remove Hutong's large, prominent menu boards! Instead, they just papered over the old menu using -- wait for it -- TAKEOUT MENUS. Yes, they literally used takeout menus to decorate the place. It's a minor thing in the grand scheme of things, but it is a good illustrator of the general lack of professionalism of the place. I really wanted to like Katy's, but not so much.
(2)Susie C.
The last time I've reviewed here was a poor experience and that's primarily because of the noodle soups.. I've tried few of their noodle soups and it wasn't good. The last two times I've been back my husband and I ordered their other Chinese dishes - fish filet with spicy bean sauce, green beans, chow fun, fried rice, potstickers, etc.. These are actually really good! This is why I have to revise my update because the last two times we've came here we ordered really good food. Plus there are more Chinese people eating here now so that makes it even more authentic. The customer service is still really great. My husband loves their fried rice...whenever he says I want fried rice at home, we know exactly where to go. Yep, this is a good place to fill in our Chinatown eats..since we don't live by Chinatown anymore. It is mroe expensive but still good.
(4)Mary Ann C.
Yummmmmmm. The dumplings and two entrees were awesome!! The pork and fennel dumplings were superb. Better than any other dumpling I have ever tried! The fish dumplings were my second favorite. Cannot wait for another night of carry out!
(4)Casey M.
This place rules! Hands down our favorite restaurant in Oak Park! Katy's is always an exciting treat!
(5)Airen J.
Looking for Asian cuisine while visiting Oak Park? Katy's will not disappoint. Great ambiance, quick and attentive service and my meal was great. Great for date night and I will be back!
(4)Bethany K.
LOVE this place. Great food, prompt service, and lovely ambiance inside. The noodles and the dumpling wrappers are all made by hand. The dumplings are incredible; not soggy at all, very tender and springy without being too chewy. All the dumplings are also available in the fried potsticker style, too. Every time I've been, they have never disappointed me. It's reasonably priced, and there are a respectable number of vegetarian options.
(4)Skyla A.
I'd give it 100 stars if we had that many!! The orange chicken was moist and saucy! The green beans were cooked and seasoned to perfection and the hot fish soup is like umm YUMMY!!! Also, the veggie pancake noodles are sooooo good!
(5)David N.
I like the food, but the service it horrible. I have tried eating in and delivery and in all cases the the staff had trouble understanding the order (the person on the phone had very limited english language skills). With the delivery , this has caused (on two separate occasions) our order to be completely wrong. When I complained, they only offered an apology and promptly hung up the phone on me. Good food or not, it's not worth the hassle. When you go inside the restaurant, there are odd coverings over all the places throughout the restaurant that has the old restaurant's name (which was Hutong). They also show that they accept American Express (on their website, on the carry out menus, and on the check holders in the restaurant). When you try to pay with American Express, then they tell you they don't accept it.....huh???
(1)M W.
Not a big fan of Chinese food AT ALL but my boyfriend is, so I gave it a try. The crab rangoon was delicious and gone pretty quickly. I had the dumplings afterwards, and they were kinda slimy and not at all good. My boyfriend didn't enjoy his meal either.
(2)Nancy E.
Omg went to dinner here and, I think I have found heave . the food tasted so fresh and so good and not to mention, the chengu dumplings yaaaaaaaa or the fusion spring rolls and the noodles hmmmmm ,again all I can say is this a favorite and it so affordable and the service is so awesome , will be going their again ,and again everyone need to try this place it is so awsome.
(5)Colin R.
I'm a loyal customer of Katy's. For the price, this is the best Szechuan you can get in the area. The spring rolls are fresh and delicious, and the portion size of their entree's are big enough to feed a small army. I usually walk away with a full stomach, a sub-10 dollar dent in my wallet, and a smile on my face.
(5)Bria D.
I work at an office down the street from this pace; so I decided to come here on my lunch break a few weeks ago. I walked in on a Friday during the lunch time rush, it was pretty crowded but not crazy. I was seated right way and given a menu and a glass of water. I glanced over the menu...they offer a wide variety of Chinese, Cantonese, and Thai food. I ordered the red Thai curry and it was delicious! This was my very first time having it and I was extremely satisfied; although I wish it was a bit spicier. My waiter was very attentive, and also quite handsome which was an added bonus. I will definitely be back.
(5)Parker L.
This place is average takeout at best. Came here after reading the yelp reviews and left wishing I ate somewhere else as there are so many better places in oak park. Had shredded pancake and dumplings. Came Luke warm to table. Overall meh.
(2)Marisol B.
My husband really enjoyed his Mongolian beef, I ordered a beef noodle soup but never actually got it. After asking for it again and seeing several people get theirs that had ordered after I had I decided it was time for us to leave. I really wanted to like this place but the service was bad.
(2)bill h.
My wife, grandson and I visited the new Oak Park location last night. Parking was easy -and free after 6- in the lot a few doors west. We didn't have reservations, but were immediately seated in one of the booths. My wife was impressed with the upholstery choice. I was less impressed with the clearance between seat back and table edge, way too small for my ample- but not freakishly so- girth. The young ladies were prompt and helpful- in a language limited way- to take the order. Chengdu dumplings from the appetizer menu. Order of 10 with dipping sauce. 8 Pork and chive dumplings and 4 steamed juicy buns from the main menu. Green beans were ordered as an afterthought. WOW Oh, and a bowl of rice for the four year old. Food came fast, hot, delicious, and plentiful. We ended up taking 5 (of 18) dumplings and 1 (of 4) of the steamed buns, along with about 1/4 of the beans home. Definitely worth a repeat visit. Most of the minor quibbles go back to the poor functionality of the design left over from the now-defunct Hutong Cafe. Small booth space and no sound/echo/noise controls. The only other place for improvement would be to implement some organization on the waitstaff service. They were understaffed and disorganized, but trying VERY hard. I've never seen a waitress literally run back to the counter. All in all I will be back.
(4)Kaz L.
I used to eat here a lot when it was Hutong, although the food was greasy but the favors were just right. So far I've been here twice ordered dumplings which was so soggy. The lettuce wrap has no flavor with big chunky meat pieces not anything I'd expect. We ordered miso soup for each of us, the waitress failed to mentioned that they're regular portion so we both got two big bowl of miso which didn't even taste like miso. That would be the last time we venture to this place.
(2)Nick J.
It's a must go place if I ever go out of Chitown, I loved their hand made noodles and the authenticity of their Szechuan food. However last time I went there and didn't find the excellent taste for their spicy food, not sure if the change of chef. anyhow, it's still good enough for some real Sichuan but just won't go back as often as before.
(4)K. E.
This place is weird but I'm definitely going to try it again and see what happens. The menu is enormous and really overwhelming, with very little description of any of the items. Next time I'm going to ask more questions. We tried some shrimp and chive dumplings which were delicious, a bowl of seafood noodle soup which was big enough for a family of four, and the shredded pancake with vegetables, unusual and really yummy (greasy though). I feel it's the kind of place you have to get your mind around over a few visits. The service was the big downer. It's set up for table service now (in a previous iteration there was ordering at the counter), but we had to ask for our tea three times, and in order to get a check and a container for our leftover soup, we had to get up from the table and find a server.
(3)Neuman K.
They need to hire people who can communicate and can speak english. The dumplings were greasy and bland. They still have the old decor from Hutong and covered it with paper. They need to change the decor and not just cover the old decor with Japanese paper. The cumin beef was dry like beef jerky. I doubt this place will continue to operate in Oak Park. Hutong was better than this new place.
(2)Hillary P.
I wish I could actually comment about the food at Katy's, but my husband and I didn't make it that far. We were excited to try out this place since we are growing weary at the food options in Oak Park. Plus, they had me at hand-pulled noodles. We went around 1:00pm on Sunday afternoon...during a Bears game. Needless to say it wasn't very busy. It smelled amazing in there, so we couldn't wait to eat. The booths along the wall were full so there were about 4-5 tables filled. We were sat right away...and that.was.it . The menu is huge and we took our time going through it. Not once did a sever, host, anyone come over to us and bring us water, ask if we had questions or take our order. We even did the obligatory close the menu, look at each other and look around. On a few occasions, the server brought food to the booths that butted up next to our table but, even though we willed her to come visit us, she didn't. So...we had a decision to make. One I've only made once or twice, to leave or not to leave. We left and went to Munch and had an awesome lunch/brunch. Sorry Katy's, we won't be back.
(1)Damian S.
Liked most things I've gotten, but do not get the beggars chicken, no flavor and dry, plus you need to be careful with the bones
(4)Sal K.
After trying this place a couple more times: the dishes are often too sweet and the other vegetarian items on the menu are usually more disappointing than the Buddha's Delight and the Fried Rice.
(3)Zac B.
i ordered takeout from this place. Mayo fried shrimp: no idea what that means but i got it and it was delicious. i also got various dumplings and noodles, all of which were awesome. chinese takout is pretty much the same everywhere but i give this place extra points because the food was still crispy and not a big sloppy mess of everything mixed together. Since i only order out from this place i have no idea how the service is but i can definatly see what other people are saying about bad service. For example, we called and placed our order, didn't take our name or phone number. When i showed up they asked for it but i said they never took it but luckily they had our food. however i could easily see that becoming a disaster. i will continue to order from here unless they screw up big time
(4)J J.
the service was mediocre, at best, and it wasn't busy at all. we came here last week...my chicken dish was good, but the portion wasn't what I thought it'd be, relative to the other Katy's dumplings locations I've been to. also, they didn't have any lunch specials on a weekday, which I've always been accustomed to, during the week. that's why I chose to go, because I assumed that to always be the case. my last gripe is, their smoothies were gross...we were told they only had 2 kinds of smoothies the day we went, and they were complimentary... because it was their version of a lunch special I guess. in any event, they were way too sweet. it wasn't necessary to add a bunch of sugar and/or corn syrup, to an already sweet drink. mangos are already naturally sweet to begin with...so, i was looking forward to, what I thought would be a an all-natural, refreshing drink. it also, didn't even taste like real sugar, so we didn't even drink our smoothies. all in all, would not come back.
(2)Lauren Q.
Delicious, and super quaint atmosphere. I told my hubby that I want my future home to look like e inside of this place someday. Food includes Chinese, Thai, Korean, and apparently even some Vietnamese- my dream restaurant! What we had was delicious. Laughed that they were playing Brazilian music in the background, but totally enjoyed it. Will love to go back.
(5)Nanook B.
Was really hopeful for a delicious new Chinese resteraunt in the area. The decor caught my eye and lured me in ... Sorry to say the service is enough to scare you out! How do you say "rude" in Chinese? May be if I knew how to communicate better I would have gained an once of courtesy or respect. Katy's Dumpling house is serving up plenty of rudeness accompanied by a side of " No Service". I inquired about hosting a private event and the staff was of absolutely NO help. No catering information, not even a tip on how to proceed! I ordered two large dishes to go and received two packets of sweet and sour sauce and soy sauce. The best one was when I asked for a couple of more, you would have thought I had asked for a Kidney. The female waitress flung an extra two packets in my hand after mumbling of how she already put some in the bag with a complete attitude. I did notice a slight service difference to my Caucasian counterpart. At least they were greeted when they walked in the door. Do I sense racial undertones? If so, Katy's Dumpling House you picked the wrong location for Buisness as this is the heart of Oak Park!
(2)Stella L.
Great noodle! Somewhat salty though
(4)Jerome H.
Far and away the best Chinese in the Oak Park area. The Chengdu dumplings alone make any potential problem with the service manageable. Anything stir-fried is a win - green beans, eggplant, any dish with pork in it - all worth getting. Best items would be dried chili chicken and szechuan twice cooked pork, although we're still scouting the menu.
(5)