Venus Szechuan & Mandarin Restaurant
18 S NW Hwy, Park Ridge, IL, 60068
Venus Szechuan & Mandarin Restaurant Menu
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Address :
18 S NW Hwy
Park Ridge, IL, 60068 - Phone (847) 825-0825
- Website https://www.venusparkridge.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
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Tiff H.
I don't want to start another Trojan War, but Venus is not the fairest Chinese restaurant of all. She does not get a golden apple. Greek name + Chinese Restaurant = should be a win!!! How disappointed I am...two of my favorite things (Chinese food...obviously...and Greek/Roman mythology!...not gonna lie but I like the name Aphrodite so much better than Venus) and they just didn't seem to mesh. 4 fried potstickers (decent, pork was a little mushy. loved the sauce tho) 2 crab ragoons (pretty good) 1 hot & spicy, orange shrimp, beef, chicken combo...deep fried over crispy rice (my lunch companion said it was spicy enough.) 1 beef chow fun with extra veggies (good but it was really greasy...way too greasy) 2 hot and sour soups (I am a bit biased...but this was not good...as is all hot and sour soup in Chicago...was a bit too much vinegar...) + 20% - ish tip --------------------------------------------------Â-------------------------------- $34 Definitely not starting another Trojan War. Service was really good though.
(3)Brian W.
Black velvet booths, and gold foil origami paper for wall paper. Venus is a little strange for a Chinese place. Its like they're trying to give you an early 90's black tie vibe or something. Strange decor aside, they have okay food. They tend to avoid the heavy handed batter and fry you get at many places. The food is a little coarsely cut sometimes, but the flavors are just fine. They have a pretty extensive menu to choose from and recently updated their menus with pictures of all the dishes. Its helpful for those of us not intimately familiar with all the dishes. Service has been okay. They've never been the types to never let your glass run dry, but at least they don't keep you waiting too long. Staff is more on the formal rather than friendly side. They waiters even wear black bow ties. I think the big win for Venus is that they manage to keep their prices in line with the hole in the wall Chinese joints, but attempt a little more in ambiance.
(3)Jenni S.
Our small office is right across the street. We decided to order lunch (five of us) from Venus since it's close. We ordered Orange Chicken, Pork & String Beans, Mongolian Beef & Garlic Chicken. Most of us ordered with brown rice instead (upcharge of $1.95 - for RICE). Instead of the typical Chinese lunch special of your entree, rice & an egg roll, it comes with rice and soup. We got the Hot & Sour, which was neither hot or sour. It was more like bouillon, noodles & tofu. Bland. The entrees were all swimming in grease. The only one that had any flavor was the pork & string beans. We ordered this medium spicy. It packed just enough heat but was the greasiest of all. The orange chicken was thin wide strips of chicken that was breaded and looked orange but didn't have the signature zesty orange taste. Interestingly enough, it featured a few stalks of broccoli. It too was pretty greasy (although the string bean won the prize for the grease). The garlic chicken was okay - not very flavorful but at least it was the least of the grease. The Mongolian beef made me sad. It lacked that bold flavor and crispy bedding of thin noodles (not exactly sure what those things are). The green onions that usually accompany the beef were wilted and didn't have much flavor. Weak and disappointing. We also ordered egg rolls because they didn't come with the lunch specials. And who can eat Chinese food and not eat egg rolls? That's just crazy. So, six egg rolls cost $11.85. They weren't even that tasty either. I also forgot to mention that portions were small. The brown rice was just meh. Sorry Venus, first and only time there. I'll go around the corner to Siam Thai instead.
(2)Weiwei L.
Terrible food, over price, they said Szechuan but it was was not, I order common Szechuan MaPo Toufu, test wired, they do charge for delivery fee for $5 even you order $50+, and plus tips, not value any u will come back. Terrible
(1)Quijote D.
Very good food. Highly recommend.
(5)Dinah T.
Good food. My favorite is sweet and spicy crispy beef, OMG I can't find it anywhere else...I'd go out of my way for this dish and I live in the burbs! Eggplant platter and soups are good too. It's Szechuan and Mandarin food, so it's a bit different than Chinatown food. Service is Ok. Try out this place if you're in the area.
(4)Pat T.
Went to Venus last night with 7 people and was so upset with the poor service that we left after 10 minutes. We came in at 8:20 and it closes at 9:00. We were ready to spend money on drinks and food and the restaurant was not crowded. The hostess came over and told us to hurry up and order since the kitchen was closing down and the cook would not make the food if we did not hurry!! It is a high class beautiful place and we expected better treatment. We walked out, good choice, since the Thai restaurant in the mall behind Venus greeted us with open arms (they close at 9 also but staying open as long as we were there) and we had a great meal. Do not go to Venus since you can read other reviews about the bad service!!!
(1)Sarah R.
I've been here many times and I've had one or two not so great experiences, but all in all it's good food. Order take out, though, dine in service is quite slow.
(3)German G.
What happened to the Sesame Crispie Chicken? I have been a customer of Venus for well over 10 years and have always ordered the Sesame Crispie Chicken. Something happened the last two times that I have to write about it. What appeared to be the pieces of chicken were small. I felt like I was eating fried breading without any meat. I am very disappointed. I don't know what happened to this delicious dish.
(2)Doug B.
Since writing my first Venus review we've been back a dozen times. The food is always good, the service is always okay and the ambiance is always easy. I've raised my rating to 5 stars because it's the food that counts and Venus makes wonderful food. The garlic eggplant is awesome... experiment with other items but always order the garlic eggplant.
(5)Zino R.
Big drop off on food quality and service since new ownership took over. Mongolian beef was mushy and Szechwan chicken contained a lot of small bits of chicken.
(2)Vince D.
Food was very good, service not so much. Waitress was not pleasant. Didn't stop by our table after food was set. We sat so long we were going to order more rice to finish our dishes but food got cold so we just got it wrapped up to go home. Sadly we will not be coming back as customers and will most likely share our experience with our friends in Park ridge and Edison park area.
(2)Marcee W.
Tried the spicy crispy beef based on Yelp recommendations and really enjoyed it. Slightly spicier than I anticipated, but a nice balance to the more bland (but good) stir fry vegetables and chicken we also shared. Crab rangoon was fresh and tasty, as were egg rolls. Service was attentive, but restaurant was pretty empty for middle of the week. Parking was a bit of a pain on a snowy, cold day. It was too early to park on the street, lot to southeast had a 30 minute limit, so I wound up in the lot adjacent to Panera (free 3-hour parking).
(3)Mike B.
Gave this place a try after the Chinese Inn in Niles closed . The menu is not traditional Chinese but we tried it any way, and I noticed that this place was very expensive compared to most places. I ordered a beef fried rice , noodles and chicken , beef and vegetables and an order of crab Rangoon . To me the food tasted like A Panda Express chain and I will not be back. The beef fried rice was $8.75, and most places give you more than 4 crab rangoons. I'm gonna stick with Kow Kow Palace on Pratt and Cicero in Lincolnwood it is worth the extra drive and the food is fantastic. Another great place is Wing Ho in Edgewater .
(1)Jimbo B.
Everything here is delicious. Definitely not the greasy Chinese food I got when I used to living in New York. This was well made and very good. I have been coming for years and often get take-out or delivery as well. Polite and considerate servers, nice cozy spot in Uptown Park Ridge. I like the style as well. Would reccomend
(5)Nick G.
I had eaten here a couple of times, and though the food was simply 'ok'. I currently live nearby, so the simple convenience was what kept bringing me back. Never again. Yesterday I ordered sesame chicken and hot 'n sour soup lunch special around 1pm. Around 5pm I contracted an absolutely terrible bout of food poisoning. I have been been confined to my room and bathroom for the past 12 hours, not being able to keep anything, including fluids, down. I would not wish this upon anyone. Steer clear of this place.
(1)Kara K.
Sooooo good! I've been eating at Venus since I was a little girl. I love the egg-drop soup, potstickers with hot mustard, Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, hot tea, and cashew chicken. But don't leave with out trying the potstickers- they really are the best- no one will show you better. My family has made Venus our Christmas Eve tradition. It feels like home there. It's also GREAT for take-out.
(5)Julianne S.
I love Venus! I've been ordering out/dining in for years and I always get so excited about it. My favorites are the sesame chicken, the mongolian beef (also really tasty if you make it spicy...and always great leftover), and the mooshoo (spelling) chicken/pork/beef. I love the plum sauce. I've always loved their hot & sour soup, too. It's funky but i love everything about it. The staff is very friendly, too.
(5)Lindsay T.
Overall the food is very good here. Homemade crab ragoon, great mustard sauce, and the beef and broccoili is always an easy go to. Its the perfect amount of garlic and oyster sauce. If you order a shrimp dish, they are huge! We recently went and had the best server and older gentleman, I think his name was Harold? Sadly the women who answers the phone (I assume an owner or manager) treats her staff so poorly. She was yelling at them to the point I was very uncomfortable in the dining room. She kept running back and forth in the room and loudly making comments to them. Being in the industry, I felt awful for all working there, no one should be a server dealing with the public AND an awful boss!
(4)James R.
Been here a few times over the last few years and it's always been pretty but not This last time. New wait staff is unfriendly and unattentive. Our drinks went empty 3 times and no service. Food was not bad but not very good either.
(2)Sarah C.
My review started out as "Mediocre, at best." (With a two star rating) the restaurant itself was ok. Clean tables, floors and waitstaff. But our server was horrible. She never checked in on us, and didn't offer us any more rice either. I find it hard to believe that we each ordered a stir fry and only got one plate of rice. Also, our drink sat empty for quite a while. We were so frustrated, she finally refilled them after we asked for the check. Food flavoing was so-so. my personal opinion was tht everything tasted the same. (like a precious review). So that's why I started rating them a 2 star. Upon waking up this am, after eating there for dinner.. Both my husband and I were so sick. So now- they get one star. I wish I could rate lower.
(1)Taylor D.
Well, we have been coming to Venus for awhile, but they have been going downhill. We ordered a delivery order and immediately called back to change it to a take out order because the delivery time was one hour. On a Sunday? No thanks. So I went to the restaurant to pick up my food and I paid cash for it. $48 and some change. The lady told me it would be a few minutes for the order. Ok sure not a problem. A few minutes later, she comes back and tells me that the delivery guy already left with out food.... Ok, what? So we head home and the food still isn't at our house. We call back and they told us the driver got lost. Now we are really angry. The women said the driver would give us the delivery charge back, which he didn't. We should not have been charged for it regardless. Service is definitely lacking here. Probably won't be back any time soon. For better Chinese, check out Moy Lee in chicago.
(2)Maria C.
Heard this place was good. Terrible. So so service. Decor is super shabby and the lemon chicken was over fried and dry and chewy. Will not return.
(2)Ashley B.
Stopped in last night about an hour before closing (We didn't realize it was so late). Ordered the egg rolls, crab rangoon, mongolian shrimp, and general tso's chicken. Everything was delicious. The egg rolls seemed fresh and the crab rangoon was HUGE and tasty. The shrimp were cooked wonderfully and my partner's chicken dish was nice and gingery. They don't use MSG which makes me happy and I think their sauces are made there, so no weird unnaturally dyed sweet and sour or hot mustard but their's tastes delicious. The service was great, everyone was super friendly and nice even given the fact that we walked in to close to closing time. We will definitely be back and are happy to have found a good Szechuan restaurant in the area.
(5)Jennifer N.
I really wanted to like this food because I was craving sweet & sour tofu. Not many asian restaurants have sweet & sour tofu. I ordered take-out, and got the sweet & sour tofu along with the sesame tofu (because it sounded similar, and i wanted to see which one I liked better for future cravings). I also go the vegetable potstickers. Honestly, the only thing that was good was rice that came with the two tofu dishes I got. The sweet & sour tofu & sesame tofu sauces tasted exactly the same (which would have been fine, if either were delicious- neither were.) They were sweet, but the fried tofu didn't have a good texture or have a nice flavor. The potstickers had a nice texture for the wrapping, but inside tasted like...nothing. just mush. I will not be ordering again which is really disappointing. Maybe it's just the vegetarian options that they haven't nailed yet! Seems like others like the chicken versions of what I ordered :(
(1)Pat W.
The Cashew Chicken was excellent. Brown rice is extra - should be included.
(3)A B.
My family (extended and immediate) has been coming to this restaurant for over 20 years and it used to be one of my favorites. I LOVE the Mongolian Beef dish. I do not dine here as frequently because of poor customer service on a couple of occasions. Both times we apparently overstayed our welcome because it was implied we should be leaving if we weren't going to order anything else. The restaurant was not closed, there were no customers waiting for a table, and there were other patrons still seated. I felt this was extremely rude. Also they have begun skimping on the rice and the size of the meals. They don't bring enough rice to the table (or when you place a take-out order) and charge for ordering extra rice. I feel that when you dine-in, you shouldn't be charged more when you don't receive enough in the first place. I can understand charging for extra rice when you place a take-out order, however. I still eat here, on very rare occasions, I can't help liking the food. But my family certainly does not come here as often as we used to.
(3)Erin E.
me: god, i'm stuffed. my mom: yeah, i really shouldn't have had those last 50 or 60 bites. my mom (aka twiggy) loves this place. probably partly because her mom (aka nana) loved this place. so i suppose it will always be sorta special to our family. my parents, sisters, nephew, nana, and i were once the only customers here on christmas eve. this year we gathered at venus for the anniversary of nana's passing. and being the demure and somber people that we are, we had a great time! nana's spirit lives on. :) ordering was a little confusing, but that's to be expected with a large group or a language barrier, and we had both. plus my aunt kathy (aka aunt bank) was gettin' sassy, so i give them credit for putting up with her. service: 3.5... okay 4. we're a tough crowd. ambiance: 3.5. much nicer/cleaner than most chinese restaraunts. but not cozy. nor charming. it's got that... how should i say... "essence of sterility." though i really can't figure out why exactly. crab rangoon (aka cranberry goo): 3.5 egg rolls: 3 moo shu pork: 4.5 family bean curd: 4.5 green bean stir fry w/ chicken: 4.5 several other dishes that i tried but can't remember: 4 the only real con-- okay, occasionally a plus, but mostly a con-- is that i can't think of this place without getting the song stuck in my head.
(4)George B.
Definitely NOT a fan anymore, and will NOT recommend... Here is the breakdown in stars: 2 stars for service: My server barely checked on my table. Never asked if I wanted something to drink. No condiments on table (and I should never have to ask for soy sauce at a "Chinese" restaurant. 2 stars for food: I've had better sesame chicken from my college's food service. Simple requests (i.e. "please no crispy noodles") are not honored for food supposedly cooked to order. Wonton soup was disgusting and not fresh. Egg Foo Yung should not have peas and carrots in it. And the kicker... I got **food poisoning** here from the Pork Chow Fun Rice Noodle dish. Any stars earned are immediately lost. EDIT: 2/2/2011 Contacted Venus concerning the food poisoning days after incident. The lady on the phone supposedly took my information and the owner was supposed to return my call. Months later, no contact from owner.
(1)Mary Ellen J.
Love it! We patronized the owners place, Kite, that was in Chicago for years before they decided to close up shop- so sad to have seen it go, but SO excited that they have Venus and its close enough to the city to get to still. We have always loved, loved, loved the sesame crispy chicken- incredibly good!! The owners and workers couldn't be kinder.
(5)Tasha P.
I just came here for the first time with a friend and the only reason it's getting 3 stars is because of the great decor and overall comfort of the place. The food was subpar for sure. First problem: we both ordered our dishes spicy. I had Hot Pepper Beef extra spicy and she had Beef and Broccoli spicy. Neither of our dishes was remotely spicy. Some might not care, but spiciness is practically my number one requirement for Asian food. I thought it was great that they offer soup with the lunches until I got mine and though the components were good, it was served only warm. I think it would have been an excellent soup if it was hot though. The best compliment I have for this place is that it's a very comfortable place to sit and talk for a while. The booths are cozy and there is very pretty dark wood used for all the tables. I wouldn't come back for the food though. Actually, I'm sure I won't come back at all.
(3)Rafael C.
Venus is conveniently located by my office and thus we order from them whenever anybody has Chinese on the brain. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm lazy to look around, I'd probably look for better options. I can't say it's bad at all but rather average at best. Living in the city has made me more picky than I should be but I must make do. I do have decent experiences when I actually go to the restaurant as the service is OK and the place looks nice enough.
(3)Dan F.
Good, dependable, tasty Chinese food. My family regularly gets delivery from Venus and we enjoy it every time. That being said, it isn't the worst place nor the best place for Chinese food, but I like it. As a place to sit down and eat, it has a very nice ambiance and decor - a good place for a date. The portions are plentiful and the prices reasonable. Give it a try.
(3)Paul S.
Not from the area, but went here with my family for lunch based on other Yelp recommendations. I can say I would recommend it as well. When we visited there were maybe 5 other groups with one server to take care of everyone. I didn't find that an issue and the server was friendly and did a nice job. We had the potstickers which were homemade and I thought just OK. I had the egg foo young which I thought was overall very food, but a little too salty. We also had the moo shu pork that was carefully wrapped up and served. Some of my faves in Chinatown in Chicago won't do that. The moo shu was OK. Port was good, but the flavor with all the veggies was just OK. Nice atmosphere. I would go to again if in the area.
(4)Becky H.
Just ordered dinner from here....and it went straight into the trash. $42 worth :-( My kids wouldn't touch their plates after 1 bite and I could barely choke down half a service. The General Tso's Chicken tasted like overdone KFC smothered in sauce from a can. The Sweet and Sour Chicken was fried within an inch of it's life and super dry. The Beef Fried Rice was bland and about 2/3 egg. It was just plain disgusting. I'll never order from here again and will gladly go back to ordering from the variety of China Towns, China Cities and China Houses. At least they know how to make decent food fast.
(1)Joanne W.
Goddess on the mountain top (me) Burning like a silver flame (my stomach) The summit of beauty and love (chinese food) And Venus was her name (in Park Ridge) She's got it. Yea baby, she's got it.... My co-workers and I decided to lunch at Venus Szechuan & Mandarin. It's a nice little establishment in downtown Park Ridge with good food and very interesting dining music. You'd like to hear a Chinese instrumental of Wind Beneath My Wings, you say? Venus might have something for you. I ordered the black bean chicken with pea pods. It took some doing to get the pea pods added to my dish but me and the waiter finally worked it out. Other dishes that were ordered were cashew chicken, szechuan green beans, and steamed veggies w/shrimp. My co-workers have been to Venus before but I was a first timer. We all enjoyed our dishes. The restaurant is clean, the decor is not overly tacky and the food is reasonably priced. The only "complaint" I have was that my dish was labeled as "spicy" and I didn't think it was hot at all. In case you have not noticed, I'm Korean. I can handle the heat! I would come back to Venus again. It's one of the nicer Chinese restaurants in the area and I love the charm of downtown Park Ridge.
(3)Anna W.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! It's my hands down favorite Chinese food joint. The flavors are bold, and the quality of food isn't questionable. Portion sizes are good and the staff is usually friendly. Plus I love astronomy so being named after a planet rocks. I've been going here since it opened and I was thrilled to find on my last visit they had expanded their menu to include a lot of vegetarian options! Basically any menu item has a vegetarian form. It's brilliant! My favorites: The veggie pot stickers- They are the best! I love the ginger sauce it comes with. sesame crispy tofu- the tofu is cut thinly and is firm, the sauce is tangy and spicy and sweet in a perfect balance. When I did eat meat years ago, I did like the chicken version of this and I do think it has a better (crispier) texture, but I'm stoked that it's now a vegetarian dish. My favorite when I ate meat was the black bean chicken. It's spicy and savory and yummy. Try it!
(5)Apple S.
The ambience there is exceptional for a Chinese food place, more elegant than others. But the food was only so-so; I'll have to return another time for a better sample. Service was good. Onion cakes were disappointing, and the sesame crispy chicken was overly breaded. They've got their eyes on design, but it's not enough to hide the average food. If I have a different experience another time, I'll come back and let you know.
(3)Adam S.
Awesome Szechuan & Mandarin food in a great location and setting for either a family dinner or date night. Not only is the food amazing but the portions are huge. A dish could easily feed two and are very inexpensive ($10 for the chicken dish I had). They are very accommodating and easily made the dish I wanted (minus a couple veggies I did not have a taste for that night). The eggs rolls are amazing and I recommend trying the veggie egg rolls!
(5)Chris S.
Tonight I went to Venus for Szechuan dinner.... The dinners that we ordered were tasty enough although they only brought one smallish plate of rice for the two of us . We asked for a little extra rice when we were getting ready to leave with a doggy bag and we were told that there would be an extra charge for the rice. We then asked to speak to the Manager about this practice. When he came over he said that everyone is charged for extra rice. My friend said that she was disappointed and would have to reconsider returning when he replied, "We don't care". Needless to say the conversation was over and the shock set in. We go to restaurants frequently and if the food and service is good we'll be back.. So a restaurant with reasonable food, ambiance and location is now NOT an option. This type of rudeness and disdain for customers was unexpected and sad. The plus: our waiter was fine and courteous.
(2)Rob L.
I spent last Saturday night with friends from college, truly it was one of the best nights I have had in a long while. Amidst our catching up and playing with an adorable four month old baby, we became a little hungry. Famished if you will. Chinese was agreed upon by us and Venus, which delivered and wasn't too far away, was our choice. We placed a fairly large order, couple orders of egg rolls, crab Rangoon, large orders of Mongolian beef, Schezwan chicken and other dishes. I would say in under a half an hour the food was there, (actually it seemed more like twenty minutes but I seemed to have misplaced my stopwatch to time it), and the eating commenced shortly after. I will have to agree, the food here is good, but nothing outstanding. The egg rolls were fine, I've had better. The crab Rangoon was fairly standard, small chunks of crab, but not bad. I was happy to see that my Schezwan chicken had plenty of veggies and good amount of chicken, though their hot certainly could be kicked up a bit for this heat seeking hot head. It did have decent flavor though. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food, but the good sized portions certainly assured that leftovers would be available for munching later. Prices seemed fairly in line as well. I know my mom loves Venus, (she doesn't live too far away either), especially because they work with her food allergies and issues, but I'm okay with it. The place gets a three star for their food, but an extra star for the quick delivery. Not a place I would venture out for, but in Park Ridge, not a bad place to stop on by.
(4)Mia C.
Ok, I've been going to this Chinese restaurant for quite some time. There dishes are pretty tasty, but the price is on the expensive side. At least when you order MuShu they give you actual rice shells, and NOT flour tortilla shells. But $8.75 for beef fried rice, come on. I mean it was okay, but not for that price. And it's not like it came in a large white paper container, actually it came in one of those black plastic containers. I didn't have an updated menu when placing an order over the phone. Now I ordered quite a few things because I had friends coming by and we couldn't decide what to get. When I asked what the total was, the lady said 36, and I thought to myself, "wow, that's cheap." Boy was I suprised when the bill was actually $63.54. *sigh* I should have known.
(3)Vivian D.
This is the first time I've ever been inclined to write a review about a restaurant but I had to because the food was so dissappointing. This was the first time I ordered from this place - and undoubtedly the last! I'm not sure what everyone else is raving about with this place but my food was just terrible! What I ordered: 1)Orange chicken - there were so many peices of orange rind in the food/sauce it was extremely overpowering and bitter and I couldn't taste anything else but rind. I'm all for using some orange zest to give it a little kick but they used the whole orange peel! I tried wiping some of the sauce off but that just left me with a soggy bland batttered peice of chicken which was not what I wanted to eat in the first place. 2)Won Ton soup - the broth tasted like green beans. If I wanted green bean soup I would've ordered that but the worst of it was the won tons tasted like they were fermenting in the broth for days. I LOVE won ton soup and this was just inedible. 3)"Regular' egg rolls - whatever was supposed to be filled inside the roll was not there. It was basically a hollow chewy deep fried wrapper with a few strands of what I think was cabbage on one side. I ate it since it didn't make me want to spit it out. Hardly a reason to order it again. 4)Yon Chow fried rice - This could have been something I could've whipped up at home with some leftover rice and frozen vegetables. It was exactly that. Nothing special about it at all. t was supposed to have beef, chiocken and shrimp in it. There was no beef and only had 2 shrimp in there.Since it was pretty much the only other edible portion of my meal, I actually ate some of it because I was so starved. Lastly, I'm not sure where Yelp gets their info but I ordered on-line and it said cash only. It also gave me a price (which was certainly too much for this subpar stuff) and when the delivery guy got here, it was $3 extra. Sorry delivery guy but I only collected as much as what the internet said it was. I gaurantee I will NEVER eat from here again.
(1)Amanda P.
Not authentic Szechuan by any stretch of the imagination, so don't get your hopes up (actually, the owners and most of the staff are from Shanghai). However, this place has a lot to recommend it. The decor is deceptively elegant for such a low-priced place. Portions are huge (my husband and I split one entree and one appetizer for lunch and left feeling satisfied). Vegetarian options are abundant and tasty, as well, with a wide variety of vegetables (no frozen peas and carrot cubes here!). I especially recommend the vegetarian potstickers served with Shanghai dumpling vinegar (I could have eaten the whole order by myself), the mushu veggies, and the veggie fried rice. Scallion pancakes were a disappointment, dry and too sweet.
(4)Beverly P.
My husband and I have gone to Venus for 15 years. It recently changed owners and since then, things have taken a turn for the worse. The old owners would come around and check to see if all was okay. The service and food were very good. Now we would not know the owners if they bit us, they have cut down on employees and the service has suffered for it. Drinks now seem to be watered down but the food is still decent and the prices are still reasonable. However, we miss the touch of an engaged owner as well as a decent drink!
(3)Vanessa K.
I love Venus and have never had a bad experience there. We were among their first customers when they first opened and have been going ever since. Some of the best items to order are the Szechuan Chicken or Beef, Pork and Green Beans, Garlic Chicken, and their noodle dishes. For an appetizer I really like their shrimp toast and crap ragoon or the sizzling rice soup. They have a full bar and their wine list is very reasonably priced. Plus, the decor is very chic and dramatic so you aren't just eating at any old chinese restaurant. While I love the majority of their food I feel like their fried rice is just ok. There are definetly better options in the area for fried rice.
(4)Michael M.
Venus has never really been able to impress me. The food seems very generic and reminds me of what I can get at Panda Express. On top of that, the price of a meal is high and not worth it if I can just go to the mall and get something similar. Maybe I have just been there at off times, but I have just never really enjoyed my experience at Venus.
(2)Sarah F.
The food is surprisingly mild for a Szechuan restaurant. The decor is very pleasant and the menu has a decent selection of vegetarian food. They serve brown rice upon request (yea).
(3)John F.
Pleasant storefront with appealing modern decor. Food is "Szechuan"-American with generous portions and very good flavor. Excellent hot and sour soup. Fast and pleasant service. A good place to dine in the Park Ridge business district.
(4)nate p.
Delicious! The orange chicken is done the way its supposed to, almost crispy. The Mongolian beef is better than Great Seas, if you can believe that. This is really a great place to eat in, clean downtown Park Ridge location with lots of parking. I give this five stars and will only be eating here for chinese from now on. I have tried all the places in the Niles area, as I have lived here since I was a kid, and this is the best place around. As good as china town, and not greasy, just Delicious.
(5)allison k.
We've ordered from this place twice now. It's not great, but until we find somewhere better, we'll probably order from here again. The fried rice is comparable to Panda Express. The egg rolls are NOT good...don't even waste your time trying them. The sesame chicken is dry, but the sauce is pretty good. It's a little pricey for the quality and authenticity.
(3)Ms G.
This is one of the best Chinese restaurants I've been to. My friend and I often go here for dinner to catch up and we always order the same thing. Their crab rangoon is awesome- plenty of crab and cream cheese, and the dipping sauce is perfect. It's plenty to share with two people. I always order either the moo shoo pork or sesame crispy chicken. The moo shoo has lots of veggies and pork in it, and they give you a ton of it. They even roll the pancakes for you at the table! The sesame crispy chicken is incredible- you can get it mild, medium, or spicy. I get mild, and it has plenty of bite. I don't know what they put in the coating- it's bright red and covered in sesame seeds, but it is SO addicting! I can eat this whole dish if I'm hungry enough. Their noodle dishes are also awesome- again, plenty of veggies and meat/seafood in each. You really can't go wrong here. The inside of the restaurant is cute, with black booths and tiny blue lights that hang over your table. Do not miss this place!
(5)Norajean N.
Best place in town to get upscale Chinese/Mandarin food. Great crab Rangoon, moo shoo and Sesame crispy chicken. Love the choices and always consistent. One complaint on hot mustard. Used to give a cup now they have STD envelopes that aren't as good
(4)V R.
Okay for clean good wholesome American-Chinese when close to ORD
(4)Nilda L.
I've been here a few times and haven't written a review, but I had to after the great service I received recently. I walked in with my 4month old son and his stroller and ordered to carry out. It's not really a take out place, but they were very accommodating. I was told my order would take about 15-20 min, so I decided to walk around the area with my son. I went around the block and back and waited for a few minutes outside when they brought my order out to me. The food didn't disappoint. I really liked the Mongolian beef and the Bean curd. If you're going to order the bean curd, get it medium or hot. Mild is pretty bland. The beef was very tender, the Crab Rangoon was nice and crispy and I loved the egg rolls. My husband and my picky 3 year old were happy. If they're happy, then I'm happy too.
(3)Sam S.
Food used to be better. Ok overall.
(3)James D.
Nice sit-down joint in the middle of raisin babies Park Ridge. Close to the train and the Pick Wick theatre. Try the potstickers and pork fried rice.
(4)Al C.
This place is awesome. I go here for lunch and always get the same dish - Hot Spicy Beef, extra spicy, and extra mushrooms. Service is fast and friendly.
(5)Aimee S.
Had a lovely dinner for six at Venus. Very tasty mai tai's & food. Was happy to have several vegan options - my favorite was the Szechuan tofu - soo good! Attentive service - casual yet upscale environment. A nice place to come on a date, with family or large groups.
(5)lani p.
Yes, it's a little pricier than most Chinese places ($1 - $2 more is expensive??? - people are nuts and cheap). The food is not only the best, but it also has ambiance and not a dump like most Chinese restaurants are! I'm so glad we moved to Park Ridge from the city. Now we are able to go to this jem of a place every week! I took a friend there who swears she hates Chinese food. Guess what? She loved it and will be going there from now on.
(5)Mike D.
Christmas Eve dinner for myself, Mrs. Claus and our two little elves. After building all those toys, feeding the reindeer and readying the sleigh, who can fault us for ordering take out? First time at Venus, and was very pleased with the quick (less than 15min) take out service. Barely had time to finish my beer at the bar, and the restaurant was fairly busy (50% occupied) too. Pricier than I expected, but based on the quantity of food (two days worth, at least) it seemed reasonable. We ordered: -- Egg Rolls: Fine, but since the kids didn't eat them we won't get them again. -- Edamame: My favorite, so we'll get it again even though the kids wouldn't touch the "furry beans". -- Orange Chicken Mild: Very good, kids favorite. -- Beef & Broccoli Mild: Just okay, probably won't get this again. I like my beef seared more, a little crispier and this was a bit mushy. -- Szechuan Beef Extra Hot: Great flavor, good beef and shredded veggies. Favorite of my wife and mine, we'll argue over the leftovers tomorrow before I let her have them. -- Brown Rice: Upgraded one of the rices from the plain white because my wife and I try (really we do) to eat a little healthy. Was what you expect. -- White Rice: Yup, sticky white rice. Kids like it with a bit of soy sauce. -- Veggie Fried Rice: Very good fried rice, lots of egg and mixed vegetables, not stingy fried rice at all. Next time I'll go with the Orange Chicken and Hot Szechuan Beef, because three entrees was too much for the four of us. Will also try the pot stickers instead of the egg rolls, but will re-order the edamame and veggie fried rice. Merry Christmas, and please open the flue on your chimney tonight! MD
(4)Caryn F.
We ordered carry out and it must have been some of the worst Asian food I have had in a long time. I am struggling to find a decent Asian food around Park Ridge and this was definitely not the answer. Don't bother.
(1)Donghai H.
Best Mandarin restaurant in the area. Must try their chow fun and pot stickers. I live in Chicago but every time I pick up my friends from O'hare airport I stop by Venus and enjoy my meal. I have been here for dozens of times and their foods never let me down. Mike the manager loves football so much, the TV in the restaurant is always on football channel. The receptionist and waitress are so friendly and helpful. You will always find your favorite Chinese food here. 上海æ¥çš„朋å‹å¯ä»¥è¯•è¯•è‘±æ²¹é¥¼ï¼ŒçŽ°åšçš„哟。
(5)Derek F.
Terrible service. Actually shockingly bad....As the only table on a Saturday night I can't imagine we were overlooked...In fact I know we weren't because the server sitting 5 feet away alone at a table said out loud "I CAN'T WAIT TO GO HOME". To herself. Really??! And the real kicker... Never checked on us once. Used to be a decent restaurant. Food is average. How they've stayed open this long I don't know. But when the place is empty on a Saturday evening that says a lot.
(1)Emily S.
Unfortunately cream of the crepe was closed so me and my sister-in-law went to Venus for dinner. I wish I had read others reviews of this restaurant prior to going here. Our waitress could not have cared less that we were having dinner at her restaurant and barely even acknowledged us. She seemed somewhat miserable being there. The food was not terrible though. We started off with crab Rangoon. For dinner I had tofu noodles and my sister-in-law had a flat noodle dish with chicken. Both were seasoned very well and tasted great. However, the service really did me in. If you are looking for attentive, nice servers who care that you are dining in their restaurant I would not recommend going to this restaurant. Think she spent the majority of her time on her cell phone. In my opinion restaurant management needs to do something about making sure their workers don't spend time on their phones. It does not look good.
(2)Rich C.
Unfortunately Venus has gone downhill since my last review in 2008. About a year ago my partner and I walked in, were seated promptly, placed our orders and proceeded to wait 45 minutes before we gave up and left. Our orders were forgotten because they were understaffed. We haven't been back until today. We were in the area and decided to give Venus another chance. We walked in and stood and waited to be seated for about 10 minutes (there were plenty of empty tables) before we left. There appeared to be just one waitress for the whole place plus a hostess who seemed overwhelmed with managing a number of takeout orders. Neither of these individuals acknowledged our presence, much less welcomed us or showed us to a table. This place has definitely seen better days.
(1)Michael R.
Venus never disappoints. This is an upscale restaurant with excellent food and great customer service. Perfect for dining in with family or business associates as well as delivery when you just don't feel like cooking. Highly recommended. Favs: Crispy duck, sesame chicken, Szechuan green beans -- best egg rolls ever! Crispy and flavorful with excellent gourmet side sauces.
(5)Scott W.
Definitely one of the best dine-in Chinese restaurants in the NW suburbs, Venus focuses more on the 'cuisine' dishes. They have some fantastic dishes and specials. More pricey than other, local family owned, places, it's a good place to take a date. Nice decor, polite service, however not quite as hospitable as other establishments. The food is delicious, almost always. Portions are indeed huge. A good value for the price. I agree with Paul's earlier comment in that the quality used to be very erratic, but over the past 2 years of being a regular customer, I'd say the quality is consistently rock solid. Recommended dishes: Shrimp Three Delight, Mongolian 3-in-1. Appetizers: Crab Rangoon (the BEST ever). It's a pretty small location, so I would call ahead if you have a group larger than 5 or 6. I've been here with as many as 20, but we had to make arrangements.
(5)Mark C.
This has consistently been my favorite Szechuan restaurant for years now. The decor inside is so better than almost any other Asian restaurant I've been to. I highly recommend the Szechuan Chicken as it's wonderful. (Don't order too spicy hot though or you may be sorry...) Also highly recommended is the Steamed Pot Stickers.
(5)paula h.
Amazing Kung Po Shrimp !! YUMMY !!!Report this by paulahoot Venus has fabulous food. I love the freshness in everything that you eat here. I have had many different entrees and have many favorites. Try the shrimp toast with some chili sauce..Savor the flavor ! The egg drop soup is very delicious as the hot and sour soup is great..has a bit of a spicy flavor. What is so nice about Venus..you have 3 choices if mild, medium and hot..unlike other restaurants that only have hot or not...Medium still gives you that heat without the burn. Very reasonable lunch menu that has a wide selection of choices, actually both sides of the lunch menu are all specials !!! They are open 7 Days a week for your convenience and eating pleasure. Park in the Park Ridge lots at no charge, and have a fabulous meal with excellent service . A full bar which specializes in Martinis and Tropical drinks for your indulgence. Try the Amazing Pina Coladas, Planters Punch and Maitais.. Think of Venus before or after a movie at the Pickwick.. I truly reccomend this great restaurant and once you become a customer, you will always go back for more.
(5)Chris J.
I've been here about 5 times and I always get the same entree, Sesame Crispy Pork, it is awesome. Someday I'll try something else from the menu and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. Prices range from around 8$ for chicken and pork dishes to 12 ish for some of the seafood and duck entrees. I have found the portions to be generous.
(5)Daria Z.
They have a great selection of appetizers and the meals are reasonably priced. The location is great, but I would come here during the lunch hour. The fresh decor is probably one of the best features of the restaurant.
(3)Mary L.
I don't even want to give this place 1 star! First, a friend and I walk into the place and the host is on the phone taking an order rolling her eyes with the person she talked to and then told us to just grab a table in the back. Ok, we did and then received 1 menu to share. We are not picky people. we ordered calamari, pot stickers and crab ran goons. No joke by the time our friend arrived 45 minutes later out appetizers weren't even out!! When we finally got them they were cold and either burnt or tasted like they sat there for 30 minutes. We should've left but we ordered the Lemon chicken which my friend said was awful, Mongolian tofu which was decent and I ordered the crispy beef that tasted like burnt popcorn! on top of the bad food the place is in disarray, wait staff is clueless all around this place is one hot mess. I don't know how they stay open. Don't eat here.!!!!!!!!!
(1)Jimmy J.
After exclusively eating Chinese here for 12 years, NEVER AGAIN. VENUS makes phenomonal mandarin food. But the owners are dry, and always understaffed!! They don't want to pay employees. Ones they do hire leave because they're paid poorly. Female owner only server on Jan 22 evening. Over 40 guests. Terrible. Its always like that. We waited 10 mins. Werent even acknowledged. We walked....and we were weekly regulars. I'm a restaurant owner who eats out a lot. Love to support well run small businesses. The food here to be honest is dynamite. But these people don't deserve my money. I can't support them no more.
(1)Dhruv P.
I was there the first time yesterday and while this was a spur of moment decision, it turned out to be quite a great one. I'm bit sure why this is 3 stars, but I thought the food we got was 5, probably one of the better Chinese food i've ever had. It felt clean, had great flavor, and was just delicious. I couldn't get enough of it. We ordered the sizzling soup, the rice patties were perfect in the veggie soup. Both the eggplant platter and Tsao platter with tofu still makes me crave it the next day. The eggplant was broiled bit succinctly soft. The tofu was perfectly crispy along with the spicy oil they gave us on side. The disappointing thing is that spicy pepper does not mean spicy. I eat spicy food. And find most places are always never spicy. This is one of the place. The other negative was service was slow! It wasn't packed yesterday, a Saturday, but only one server was working for maybe 9 tables that had people.
(4)Pat T.
Went to Venus last night with 7 people and was so upset with the poor service that we left after 10 minutes. We came in at 8:20 and it closes at 9:00. We were ready to spend money on drinks and food and the restaurant was not crowded. The hostess came over and told us to hurry up and order since the kitchen was closing down and the cook would not make the food if we did not hurry!! It is a high class beautiful place and we expected better treatment. We walked out, good choice, since the Thai restaurant in the mall behind Venus greeted us with open arms (they close at 9 also but staying open as long as we were there) and we had a great meal. Do not go to Venus since you can read other reviews about the bad service!!!
(1)James R.
Been here a few times over the last few years and it's always been pretty but not This last time. New wait staff is unfriendly and unattentive. Our drinks went empty 3 times and no service. Food was not bad but not very good either.
(2)Donghai H.
Best Mandarin restaurant in the area. Must try their chow fun and pot stickers. I live in Chicago but every time I pick up my friends from O'hare airport I stop by Venus and enjoy my meal. I have been here for dozens of times and their foods never let me down. Mike the manager loves football so much, the TV in the restaurant is always on football channel. The receptionist and waitress are so friendly and helpful. You will always find your favorite Chinese food here. 上海æ¥çš„朋å‹å¯ä»¥è¯•è¯•è‘±æ²¹é¥¼ï¼ŒçŽ°åšçš„哟。
(5)Derek F.
Terrible service. Actually shockingly bad....As the only table on a Saturday night I can't imagine we were overlooked...In fact I know we weren't because the server sitting 5 feet away alone at a table said out loud "I CAN'T WAIT TO GO HOME". To herself. Really??! And the real kicker... Never checked on us once. Used to be a decent restaurant. Food is average. How they've stayed open this long I don't know. But when the place is empty on a Saturday evening that says a lot.
(1)Emily S.
Unfortunately cream of the crepe was closed so me and my sister-in-law went to Venus for dinner. I wish I had read others reviews of this restaurant prior to going here. Our waitress could not have cared less that we were having dinner at her restaurant and barely even acknowledged us. She seemed somewhat miserable being there. The food was not terrible though. We started off with crab Rangoon. For dinner I had tofu noodles and my sister-in-law had a flat noodle dish with chicken. Both were seasoned very well and tasted great. However, the service really did me in. If you are looking for attentive, nice servers who care that you are dining in their restaurant I would not recommend going to this restaurant. Think she spent the majority of her time on her cell phone. In my opinion restaurant management needs to do something about making sure their workers don't spend time on their phones. It does not look good.
(2)German G.
What happened to the Sesame Crispie Chicken? I have been a customer of Venus for well over 10 years and have always ordered the Sesame Crispie Chicken. Something happened the last two times that I have to write about it. What appeared to be the pieces of chicken were small. I felt like I was eating fried breading without any meat. I am very disappointed. I don't know what happened to this delicious dish.
(2)Jenni S.
Our small office is right across the street. We decided to order lunch (five of us) from Venus since it's close. We ordered Orange Chicken, Pork & String Beans, Mongolian Beef & Garlic Chicken. Most of us ordered with brown rice instead (upcharge of $1.95 - for RICE). Instead of the typical Chinese lunch special of your entree, rice & an egg roll, it comes with rice and soup. We got the Hot & Sour, which was neither hot or sour. It was more like bouillon, noodles & tofu. Bland. The entrees were all swimming in grease. The only one that had any flavor was the pork & string beans. We ordered this medium spicy. It packed just enough heat but was the greasiest of all. The orange chicken was thin wide strips of chicken that was breaded and looked orange but didn't have the signature zesty orange taste. Interestingly enough, it featured a few stalks of broccoli. It too was pretty greasy (although the string bean won the prize for the grease). The garlic chicken was okay - not very flavorful but at least it was the least of the grease. The Mongolian beef made me sad. It lacked that bold flavor and crispy bedding of thin noodles (not exactly sure what those things are). The green onions that usually accompany the beef were wilted and didn't have much flavor. Weak and disappointing. We also ordered egg rolls because they didn't come with the lunch specials. And who can eat Chinese food and not eat egg rolls? That's just crazy. So, six egg rolls cost $11.85. They weren't even that tasty either. I also forgot to mention that portions were small. The brown rice was just meh. Sorry Venus, first and only time there. I'll go around the corner to Siam Thai instead.
(2)Rich C.
Unfortunately Venus has gone downhill since my last review in 2008. About a year ago my partner and I walked in, were seated promptly, placed our orders and proceeded to wait 45 minutes before we gave up and left. Our orders were forgotten because they were understaffed. We haven't been back until today. We were in the area and decided to give Venus another chance. We walked in and stood and waited to be seated for about 10 minutes (there were plenty of empty tables) before we left. There appeared to be just one waitress for the whole place plus a hostess who seemed overwhelmed with managing a number of takeout orders. Neither of these individuals acknowledged our presence, much less welcomed us or showed us to a table. This place has definitely seen better days.
(1)Jimmy J.
After exclusively eating Chinese here for 12 years, NEVER AGAIN. VENUS makes phenomonal mandarin food. But the owners are dry, and always understaffed!! They don't want to pay employees. Ones they do hire leave because they're paid poorly. Female owner only server on Jan 22 evening. Over 40 guests. Terrible. Its always like that. We waited 10 mins. Werent even acknowledged. We walked....and we were weekly regulars. I'm a restaurant owner who eats out a lot. Love to support well run small businesses. The food here to be honest is dynamite. But these people don't deserve my money. I can't support them no more.
(1)Dhruv P.
I was there the first time yesterday and while this was a spur of moment decision, it turned out to be quite a great one. I'm bit sure why this is 3 stars, but I thought the food we got was 5, probably one of the better Chinese food i've ever had. It felt clean, had great flavor, and was just delicious. I couldn't get enough of it. We ordered the sizzling soup, the rice patties were perfect in the veggie soup. Both the eggplant platter and Tsao platter with tofu still makes me crave it the next day. The eggplant was broiled bit succinctly soft. The tofu was perfectly crispy along with the spicy oil they gave us on side. The disappointing thing is that spicy pepper does not mean spicy. I eat spicy food. And find most places are always never spicy. This is one of the place. The other negative was service was slow! It wasn't packed yesterday, a Saturday, but only one server was working for maybe 9 tables that had people.
(4)Mary L.
I don't even want to give this place 1 star! First, a friend and I walk into the place and the host is on the phone taking an order rolling her eyes with the person she talked to and then told us to just grab a table in the back. Ok, we did and then received 1 menu to share. We are not picky people. we ordered calamari, pot stickers and crab ran goons. No joke by the time our friend arrived 45 minutes later out appetizers weren't even out!! When we finally got them they were cold and either burnt or tasted like they sat there for 30 minutes. We should've left but we ordered the Lemon chicken which my friend said was awful, Mongolian tofu which was decent and I ordered the crispy beef that tasted like burnt popcorn! on top of the bad food the place is in disarray, wait staff is clueless all around this place is one hot mess. I don't know how they stay open. Don't eat here.!!!!!!!!!
(1)Weiwei L.
Terrible food, over price, they said Szechuan but it was was not, I order common Szechuan MaPo Toufu, test wired, they do charge for delivery fee for $5 even you order $50+, and plus tips, not value any u will come back. Terrible
(1)Dinah T.
Good food. My favorite is sweet and spicy crispy beef, OMG I can't find it anywhere else...I'd go out of my way for this dish and I live in the burbs! Eggplant platter and soups are good too. It's Szechuan and Mandarin food, so it's a bit different than Chinatown food. Service is Ok. Try out this place if you're in the area.
(4)Julianne S.
I love Venus! I've been ordering out/dining in for years and I always get so excited about it. My favorites are the sesame chicken, the mongolian beef (also really tasty if you make it spicy...and always great leftover), and the mooshoo (spelling) chicken/pork/beef. I love the plum sauce. I've always loved their hot & sour soup, too. It's funky but i love everything about it. The staff is very friendly, too.
(5)Lindsay T.
Overall the food is very good here. Homemade crab ragoon, great mustard sauce, and the beef and broccoili is always an easy go to. Its the perfect amount of garlic and oyster sauce. If you order a shrimp dish, they are huge! We recently went and had the best server and older gentleman, I think his name was Harold? Sadly the women who answers the phone (I assume an owner or manager) treats her staff so poorly. She was yelling at them to the point I was very uncomfortable in the dining room. She kept running back and forth in the room and loudly making comments to them. Being in the industry, I felt awful for all working there, no one should be a server dealing with the public AND an awful boss!
(4)Jennifer N.
I really wanted to like this food because I was craving sweet & sour tofu. Not many asian restaurants have sweet & sour tofu. I ordered take-out, and got the sweet & sour tofu along with the sesame tofu (because it sounded similar, and i wanted to see which one I liked better for future cravings). I also go the vegetable potstickers. Honestly, the only thing that was good was rice that came with the two tofu dishes I got. The sweet & sour tofu & sesame tofu sauces tasted exactly the same (which would have been fine, if either were delicious- neither were.) They were sweet, but the fried tofu didn't have a good texture or have a nice flavor. The potstickers had a nice texture for the wrapping, but inside tasted like...nothing. just mush. I will not be ordering again which is really disappointing. Maybe it's just the vegetarian options that they haven't nailed yet! Seems like others like the chicken versions of what I ordered :(
(1)Pat W.
The Cashew Chicken was excellent. Brown rice is extra - should be included.
(3)A B.
My family (extended and immediate) has been coming to this restaurant for over 20 years and it used to be one of my favorites. I LOVE the Mongolian Beef dish. I do not dine here as frequently because of poor customer service on a couple of occasions. Both times we apparently overstayed our welcome because it was implied we should be leaving if we weren't going to order anything else. The restaurant was not closed, there were no customers waiting for a table, and there were other patrons still seated. I felt this was extremely rude. Also they have begun skimping on the rice and the size of the meals. They don't bring enough rice to the table (or when you place a take-out order) and charge for ordering extra rice. I feel that when you dine-in, you shouldn't be charged more when you don't receive enough in the first place. I can understand charging for extra rice when you place a take-out order, however. I still eat here, on very rare occasions, I can't help liking the food. But my family certainly does not come here as often as we used to.
(3)Mike B.
Gave this place a try after the Chinese Inn in Niles closed . The menu is not traditional Chinese but we tried it any way, and I noticed that this place was very expensive compared to most places. I ordered a beef fried rice , noodles and chicken , beef and vegetables and an order of crab Rangoon . To me the food tasted like A Panda Express chain and I will not be back. The beef fried rice was $8.75, and most places give you more than 4 crab rangoons. I'm gonna stick with Kow Kow Palace on Pratt and Cicero in Lincolnwood it is worth the extra drive and the food is fantastic. Another great place is Wing Ho in Edgewater .
(1)Jimbo B.
Everything here is delicious. Definitely not the greasy Chinese food I got when I used to living in New York. This was well made and very good. I have been coming for years and often get take-out or delivery as well. Polite and considerate servers, nice cozy spot in Uptown Park Ridge. I like the style as well. Would reccomend
(5)Nick G.
I had eaten here a couple of times, and though the food was simply 'ok'. I currently live nearby, so the simple convenience was what kept bringing me back. Never again. Yesterday I ordered sesame chicken and hot 'n sour soup lunch special around 1pm. Around 5pm I contracted an absolutely terrible bout of food poisoning. I have been been confined to my room and bathroom for the past 12 hours, not being able to keep anything, including fluids, down. I would not wish this upon anyone. Steer clear of this place.
(1)Kara K.
Sooooo good! I've been eating at Venus since I was a little girl. I love the egg-drop soup, potstickers with hot mustard, Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, hot tea, and cashew chicken. But don't leave with out trying the potstickers- they really are the best- no one will show you better. My family has made Venus our Christmas Eve tradition. It feels like home there. It's also GREAT for take-out.
(5)Joanne W.
Goddess on the mountain top (me) Burning like a silver flame (my stomach) The summit of beauty and love (chinese food) And Venus was her name (in Park Ridge) She's got it. Yea baby, she's got it.... My co-workers and I decided to lunch at Venus Szechuan & Mandarin. It's a nice little establishment in downtown Park Ridge with good food and very interesting dining music. You'd like to hear a Chinese instrumental of Wind Beneath My Wings, you say? Venus might have something for you. I ordered the black bean chicken with pea pods. It took some doing to get the pea pods added to my dish but me and the waiter finally worked it out. Other dishes that were ordered were cashew chicken, szechuan green beans, and steamed veggies w/shrimp. My co-workers have been to Venus before but I was a first timer. We all enjoyed our dishes. The restaurant is clean, the decor is not overly tacky and the food is reasonably priced. The only "complaint" I have was that my dish was labeled as "spicy" and I didn't think it was hot at all. In case you have not noticed, I'm Korean. I can handle the heat! I would come back to Venus again. It's one of the nicer Chinese restaurants in the area and I love the charm of downtown Park Ridge.
(3)Michael R.
Venus never disappoints. This is an upscale restaurant with excellent food and great customer service. Perfect for dining in with family or business associates as well as delivery when you just don't feel like cooking. Highly recommended. Favs: Crispy duck, sesame chicken, Szechuan green beans -- best egg rolls ever! Crispy and flavorful with excellent gourmet side sauces.
(5)Tiff H.
I don't want to start another Trojan War, but Venus is not the fairest Chinese restaurant of all. She does not get a golden apple. Greek name + Chinese Restaurant = should be a win!!! How disappointed I am...two of my favorite things (Chinese food...obviously...and Greek/Roman mythology!...not gonna lie but I like the name Aphrodite so much better than Venus) and they just didn't seem to mesh. 4 fried potstickers (decent, pork was a little mushy. loved the sauce tho) 2 crab ragoons (pretty good) 1 hot & spicy, orange shrimp, beef, chicken combo...deep fried over crispy rice (my lunch companion said it was spicy enough.) 1 beef chow fun with extra veggies (good but it was really greasy...way too greasy) 2 hot and sour soups (I am a bit biased...but this was not good...as is all hot and sour soup in Chicago...was a bit too much vinegar...) + 20% - ish tip --------------------------------------------------Â-------------------------------- $34 Definitely not starting another Trojan War. Service was really good though.
(3)Tasha P.
I just came here for the first time with a friend and the only reason it's getting 3 stars is because of the great decor and overall comfort of the place. The food was subpar for sure. First problem: we both ordered our dishes spicy. I had Hot Pepper Beef extra spicy and she had Beef and Broccoli spicy. Neither of our dishes was remotely spicy. Some might not care, but spiciness is practically my number one requirement for Asian food. I thought it was great that they offer soup with the lunches until I got mine and though the components were good, it was served only warm. I think it would have been an excellent soup if it was hot though. The best compliment I have for this place is that it's a very comfortable place to sit and talk for a while. The booths are cozy and there is very pretty dark wood used for all the tables. I wouldn't come back for the food though. Actually, I'm sure I won't come back at all.
(3)Rafael C.
Venus is conveniently located by my office and thus we order from them whenever anybody has Chinese on the brain. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm lazy to look around, I'd probably look for better options. I can't say it's bad at all but rather average at best. Living in the city has made me more picky than I should be but I must make do. I do have decent experiences when I actually go to the restaurant as the service is OK and the place looks nice enough.
(3)Dan F.
Good, dependable, tasty Chinese food. My family regularly gets delivery from Venus and we enjoy it every time. That being said, it isn't the worst place nor the best place for Chinese food, but I like it. As a place to sit down and eat, it has a very nice ambiance and decor - a good place for a date. The portions are plentiful and the prices reasonable. Give it a try.
(3)Paul S.
Not from the area, but went here with my family for lunch based on other Yelp recommendations. I can say I would recommend it as well. When we visited there were maybe 5 other groups with one server to take care of everyone. I didn't find that an issue and the server was friendly and did a nice job. We had the potstickers which were homemade and I thought just OK. I had the egg foo young which I thought was overall very food, but a little too salty. We also had the moo shu pork that was carefully wrapped up and served. Some of my faves in Chinatown in Chicago won't do that. The moo shu was OK. Port was good, but the flavor with all the veggies was just OK. Nice atmosphere. I would go to again if in the area.
(4)Becky H.
Just ordered dinner from here....and it went straight into the trash. $42 worth :-( My kids wouldn't touch their plates after 1 bite and I could barely choke down half a service. The General Tso's Chicken tasted like overdone KFC smothered in sauce from a can. The Sweet and Sour Chicken was fried within an inch of it's life and super dry. The Beef Fried Rice was bland and about 2/3 egg. It was just plain disgusting. I'll never order from here again and will gladly go back to ordering from the variety of China Towns, China Cities and China Houses. At least they know how to make decent food fast.
(1)Brian W.
Black velvet booths, and gold foil origami paper for wall paper. Venus is a little strange for a Chinese place. Its like they're trying to give you an early 90's black tie vibe or something. Strange decor aside, they have okay food. They tend to avoid the heavy handed batter and fry you get at many places. The food is a little coarsely cut sometimes, but the flavors are just fine. They have a pretty extensive menu to choose from and recently updated their menus with pictures of all the dishes. Its helpful for those of us not intimately familiar with all the dishes. Service has been okay. They've never been the types to never let your glass run dry, but at least they don't keep you waiting too long. Staff is more on the formal rather than friendly side. They waiters even wear black bow ties. I think the big win for Venus is that they manage to keep their prices in line with the hole in the wall Chinese joints, but attempt a little more in ambiance.
(3)Anna W.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! It's my hands down favorite Chinese food joint. The flavors are bold, and the quality of food isn't questionable. Portion sizes are good and the staff is usually friendly. Plus I love astronomy so being named after a planet rocks. I've been going here since it opened and I was thrilled to find on my last visit they had expanded their menu to include a lot of vegetarian options! Basically any menu item has a vegetarian form. It's brilliant! My favorites: The veggie pot stickers- They are the best! I love the ginger sauce it comes with. sesame crispy tofu- the tofu is cut thinly and is firm, the sauce is tangy and spicy and sweet in a perfect balance. When I did eat meat years ago, I did like the chicken version of this and I do think it has a better (crispier) texture, but I'm stoked that it's now a vegetarian dish. My favorite when I ate meat was the black bean chicken. It's spicy and savory and yummy. Try it!
(5)Apple S.
The ambience there is exceptional for a Chinese food place, more elegant than others. But the food was only so-so; I'll have to return another time for a better sample. Service was good. Onion cakes were disappointing, and the sesame crispy chicken was overly breaded. They've got their eyes on design, but it's not enough to hide the average food. If I have a different experience another time, I'll come back and let you know.
(3)Adam S.
Awesome Szechuan & Mandarin food in a great location and setting for either a family dinner or date night. Not only is the food amazing but the portions are huge. A dish could easily feed two and are very inexpensive ($10 for the chicken dish I had). They are very accommodating and easily made the dish I wanted (minus a couple veggies I did not have a taste for that night). The eggs rolls are amazing and I recommend trying the veggie egg rolls!
(5)Norajean N.
Best place in town to get upscale Chinese/Mandarin food. Great crab Rangoon, moo shoo and Sesame crispy chicken. Love the choices and always consistent. One complaint on hot mustard. Used to give a cup now they have STD envelopes that aren't as good
(4)V R.
Okay for clean good wholesome American-Chinese when close to ORD
(4)Nilda L.
I've been here a few times and haven't written a review, but I had to after the great service I received recently. I walked in with my 4month old son and his stroller and ordered to carry out. It's not really a take out place, but they were very accommodating. I was told my order would take about 15-20 min, so I decided to walk around the area with my son. I went around the block and back and waited for a few minutes outside when they brought my order out to me. The food didn't disappoint. I really liked the Mongolian beef and the Bean curd. If you're going to order the bean curd, get it medium or hot. Mild is pretty bland. The beef was very tender, the Crab Rangoon was nice and crispy and I loved the egg rolls. My husband and my picky 3 year old were happy. If they're happy, then I'm happy too.
(3)Sam S.
Food used to be better. Ok overall.
(3)James D.
Nice sit-down joint in the middle of raisin babies Park Ridge. Close to the train and the Pick Wick theatre. Try the potstickers and pork fried rice.
(4)Al C.
This place is awesome. I go here for lunch and always get the same dish - Hot Spicy Beef, extra spicy, and extra mushrooms. Service is fast and friendly.
(5)Aimee S.
Had a lovely dinner for six at Venus. Very tasty mai tai's & food. Was happy to have several vegan options - my favorite was the Szechuan tofu - soo good! Attentive service - casual yet upscale environment. A nice place to come on a date, with family or large groups.
(5)Mike D.
Christmas Eve dinner for myself, Mrs. Claus and our two little elves. After building all those toys, feeding the reindeer and readying the sleigh, who can fault us for ordering take out? First time at Venus, and was very pleased with the quick (less than 15min) take out service. Barely had time to finish my beer at the bar, and the restaurant was fairly busy (50% occupied) too. Pricier than I expected, but based on the quantity of food (two days worth, at least) it seemed reasonable. We ordered: -- Egg Rolls: Fine, but since the kids didn't eat them we won't get them again. -- Edamame: My favorite, so we'll get it again even though the kids wouldn't touch the "furry beans". -- Orange Chicken Mild: Very good, kids favorite. -- Beef & Broccoli Mild: Just okay, probably won't get this again. I like my beef seared more, a little crispier and this was a bit mushy. -- Szechuan Beef Extra Hot: Great flavor, good beef and shredded veggies. Favorite of my wife and mine, we'll argue over the leftovers tomorrow before I let her have them. -- Brown Rice: Upgraded one of the rices from the plain white because my wife and I try (really we do) to eat a little healthy. Was what you expect. -- White Rice: Yup, sticky white rice. Kids like it with a bit of soy sauce. -- Veggie Fried Rice: Very good fried rice, lots of egg and mixed vegetables, not stingy fried rice at all. Next time I'll go with the Orange Chicken and Hot Szechuan Beef, because three entrees was too much for the four of us. Will also try the pot stickers instead of the egg rolls, but will re-order the edamame and veggie fried rice. Merry Christmas, and please open the flue on your chimney tonight! MD
(4)Caryn F.
We ordered carry out and it must have been some of the worst Asian food I have had in a long time. I am struggling to find a decent Asian food around Park Ridge and this was definitely not the answer. Don't bother.
(1)Scott W.
Definitely one of the best dine-in Chinese restaurants in the NW suburbs, Venus focuses more on the 'cuisine' dishes. They have some fantastic dishes and specials. More pricey than other, local family owned, places, it's a good place to take a date. Nice decor, polite service, however not quite as hospitable as other establishments. The food is delicious, almost always. Portions are indeed huge. A good value for the price. I agree with Paul's earlier comment in that the quality used to be very erratic, but over the past 2 years of being a regular customer, I'd say the quality is consistently rock solid. Recommended dishes: Shrimp Three Delight, Mongolian 3-in-1. Appetizers: Crab Rangoon (the BEST ever). It's a pretty small location, so I would call ahead if you have a group larger than 5 or 6. I've been here with as many as 20, but we had to make arrangements.
(5)Mark C.
This has consistently been my favorite Szechuan restaurant for years now. The decor inside is so better than almost any other Asian restaurant I've been to. I highly recommend the Szechuan Chicken as it's wonderful. (Don't order too spicy hot though or you may be sorry...) Also highly recommended is the Steamed Pot Stickers.
(5)Ashley B.
Stopped in last night about an hour before closing (We didn't realize it was so late). Ordered the egg rolls, crab rangoon, mongolian shrimp, and general tso's chicken. Everything was delicious. The egg rolls seemed fresh and the crab rangoon was HUGE and tasty. The shrimp were cooked wonderfully and my partner's chicken dish was nice and gingery. They don't use MSG which makes me happy and I think their sauces are made there, so no weird unnaturally dyed sweet and sour or hot mustard but their's tastes delicious. The service was great, everyone was super friendly and nice even given the fact that we walked in to close to closing time. We will definitely be back and are happy to have found a good Szechuan restaurant in the area.
(5)Sarah R.
I've been here many times and I've had one or two not so great experiences, but all in all it's good food. Order take out, though, dine in service is quite slow.
(3)Doug B.
Since writing my first Venus review we've been back a dozen times. The food is always good, the service is always okay and the ambiance is always easy. I've raised my rating to 5 stars because it's the food that counts and Venus makes wonderful food. The garlic eggplant is awesome... experiment with other items but always order the garlic eggplant.
(5)Zino R.
Big drop off on food quality and service since new ownership took over. Mongolian beef was mushy and Szechwan chicken contained a lot of small bits of chicken.
(2)Vince D.
Food was very good, service not so much. Waitress was not pleasant. Didn't stop by our table after food was set. We sat so long we were going to order more rice to finish our dishes but food got cold so we just got it wrapped up to go home. Sadly we will not be coming back as customers and will most likely share our experience with our friends in Park ridge and Edison park area.
(2)Marcee W.
Tried the spicy crispy beef based on Yelp recommendations and really enjoyed it. Slightly spicier than I anticipated, but a nice balance to the more bland (but good) stir fry vegetables and chicken we also shared. Crab rangoon was fresh and tasty, as were egg rolls. Service was attentive, but restaurant was pretty empty for middle of the week. Parking was a bit of a pain on a snowy, cold day. It was too early to park on the street, lot to southeast had a 30 minute limit, so I wound up in the lot adjacent to Panera (free 3-hour parking).
(3)Erin E.
me: god, i'm stuffed. my mom: yeah, i really shouldn't have had those last 50 or 60 bites. my mom (aka twiggy) loves this place. probably partly because her mom (aka nana) loved this place. so i suppose it will always be sorta special to our family. my parents, sisters, nephew, nana, and i were once the only customers here on christmas eve. this year we gathered at venus for the anniversary of nana's passing. and being the demure and somber people that we are, we had a great time! nana's spirit lives on. :) ordering was a little confusing, but that's to be expected with a large group or a language barrier, and we had both. plus my aunt kathy (aka aunt bank) was gettin' sassy, so i give them credit for putting up with her. service: 3.5... okay 4. we're a tough crowd. ambiance: 3.5. much nicer/cleaner than most chinese restaraunts. but not cozy. nor charming. it's got that... how should i say... "essence of sterility." though i really can't figure out why exactly. crab rangoon (aka cranberry goo): 3.5 egg rolls: 3 moo shu pork: 4.5 family bean curd: 4.5 green bean stir fry w/ chicken: 4.5 several other dishes that i tried but can't remember: 4 the only real con-- okay, occasionally a plus, but mostly a con-- is that i can't think of this place without getting the song stuck in my head.
(4)Quijote D.
Very good food. Highly recommend.
(5)George B.
Definitely NOT a fan anymore, and will NOT recommend... Here is the breakdown in stars: 2 stars for service: My server barely checked on my table. Never asked if I wanted something to drink. No condiments on table (and I should never have to ask for soy sauce at a "Chinese" restaurant. 2 stars for food: I've had better sesame chicken from my college's food service. Simple requests (i.e. "please no crispy noodles") are not honored for food supposedly cooked to order. Wonton soup was disgusting and not fresh. Egg Foo Yung should not have peas and carrots in it. And the kicker... I got **food poisoning** here from the Pork Chow Fun Rice Noodle dish. Any stars earned are immediately lost. EDIT: 2/2/2011 Contacted Venus concerning the food poisoning days after incident. The lady on the phone supposedly took my information and the owner was supposed to return my call. Months later, no contact from owner.
(1)Mary Ellen J.
Love it! We patronized the owners place, Kite, that was in Chicago for years before they decided to close up shop- so sad to have seen it go, but SO excited that they have Venus and its close enough to the city to get to still. We have always loved, loved, loved the sesame crispy chicken- incredibly good!! The owners and workers couldn't be kinder.
(5)Sarah C.
My review started out as "Mediocre, at best." (With a two star rating) the restaurant itself was ok. Clean tables, floors and waitstaff. But our server was horrible. She never checked in on us, and didn't offer us any more rice either. I find it hard to believe that we each ordered a stir fry and only got one plate of rice. Also, our drink sat empty for quite a while. We were so frustrated, she finally refilled them after we asked for the check. Food flavoing was so-so. my personal opinion was tht everything tasted the same. (like a precious review). So that's why I started rating them a 2 star. Upon waking up this am, after eating there for dinner.. Both my husband and I were so sick. So now- they get one star. I wish I could rate lower.
(1)Taylor D.
Well, we have been coming to Venus for awhile, but they have been going downhill. We ordered a delivery order and immediately called back to change it to a take out order because the delivery time was one hour. On a Sunday? No thanks. So I went to the restaurant to pick up my food and I paid cash for it. $48 and some change. The lady told me it would be a few minutes for the order. Ok sure not a problem. A few minutes later, she comes back and tells me that the delivery guy already left with out food.... Ok, what? So we head home and the food still isn't at our house. We call back and they told us the driver got lost. Now we are really angry. The women said the driver would give us the delivery charge back, which he didn't. We should not have been charged for it regardless. Service is definitely lacking here. Probably won't be back any time soon. For better Chinese, check out Moy Lee in chicago.
(2)Maria C.
Heard this place was good. Terrible. So so service. Decor is super shabby and the lemon chicken was over fried and dry and chewy. Will not return.
(2)Chris S.
Tonight I went to Venus for Szechuan dinner.... The dinners that we ordered were tasty enough although they only brought one smallish plate of rice for the two of us . We asked for a little extra rice when we were getting ready to leave with a doggy bag and we were told that there would be an extra charge for the rice. We then asked to speak to the Manager about this practice. When he came over he said that everyone is charged for extra rice. My friend said that she was disappointed and would have to reconsider returning when he replied, "We don't care". Needless to say the conversation was over and the shock set in. We go to restaurants frequently and if the food and service is good we'll be back.. So a restaurant with reasonable food, ambiance and location is now NOT an option. This type of rudeness and disdain for customers was unexpected and sad. The plus: our waiter was fine and courteous.
(2)Rob L.
I spent last Saturday night with friends from college, truly it was one of the best nights I have had in a long while. Amidst our catching up and playing with an adorable four month old baby, we became a little hungry. Famished if you will. Chinese was agreed upon by us and Venus, which delivered and wasn't too far away, was our choice. We placed a fairly large order, couple orders of egg rolls, crab Rangoon, large orders of Mongolian beef, Schezwan chicken and other dishes. I would say in under a half an hour the food was there, (actually it seemed more like twenty minutes but I seemed to have misplaced my stopwatch to time it), and the eating commenced shortly after. I will have to agree, the food here is good, but nothing outstanding. The egg rolls were fine, I've had better. The crab Rangoon was fairly standard, small chunks of crab, but not bad. I was happy to see that my Schezwan chicken had plenty of veggies and good amount of chicken, though their hot certainly could be kicked up a bit for this heat seeking hot head. It did have decent flavor though. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food, but the good sized portions certainly assured that leftovers would be available for munching later. Prices seemed fairly in line as well. I know my mom loves Venus, (she doesn't live too far away either), especially because they work with her food allergies and issues, but I'm okay with it. The place gets a three star for their food, but an extra star for the quick delivery. Not a place I would venture out for, but in Park Ridge, not a bad place to stop on by.
(4)Mia C.
Ok, I've been going to this Chinese restaurant for quite some time. There dishes are pretty tasty, but the price is on the expensive side. At least when you order MuShu they give you actual rice shells, and NOT flour tortilla shells. But $8.75 for beef fried rice, come on. I mean it was okay, but not for that price. And it's not like it came in a large white paper container, actually it came in one of those black plastic containers. I didn't have an updated menu when placing an order over the phone. Now I ordered quite a few things because I had friends coming by and we couldn't decide what to get. When I asked what the total was, the lady said 36, and I thought to myself, "wow, that's cheap." Boy was I suprised when the bill was actually $63.54. *sigh* I should have known.
(3)Ms G.
This is one of the best Chinese restaurants I've been to. My friend and I often go here for dinner to catch up and we always order the same thing. Their crab rangoon is awesome- plenty of crab and cream cheese, and the dipping sauce is perfect. It's plenty to share with two people. I always order either the moo shoo pork or sesame crispy chicken. The moo shoo has lots of veggies and pork in it, and they give you a ton of it. They even roll the pancakes for you at the table! The sesame crispy chicken is incredible- you can get it mild, medium, or spicy. I get mild, and it has plenty of bite. I don't know what they put in the coating- it's bright red and covered in sesame seeds, but it is SO addicting! I can eat this whole dish if I'm hungry enough. Their noodle dishes are also awesome- again, plenty of veggies and meat/seafood in each. You really can't go wrong here. The inside of the restaurant is cute, with black booths and tiny blue lights that hang over your table. Do not miss this place!
(5)paula h.
Amazing Kung Po Shrimp !! YUMMY !!!Report this by paulahoot Venus has fabulous food. I love the freshness in everything that you eat here. I have had many different entrees and have many favorites. Try the shrimp toast with some chili sauce..Savor the flavor ! The egg drop soup is very delicious as the hot and sour soup is great..has a bit of a spicy flavor. What is so nice about Venus..you have 3 choices if mild, medium and hot..unlike other restaurants that only have hot or not...Medium still gives you that heat without the burn. Very reasonable lunch menu that has a wide selection of choices, actually both sides of the lunch menu are all specials !!! They are open 7 Days a week for your convenience and eating pleasure. Park in the Park Ridge lots at no charge, and have a fabulous meal with excellent service . A full bar which specializes in Martinis and Tropical drinks for your indulgence. Try the Amazing Pina Coladas, Planters Punch and Maitais.. Think of Venus before or after a movie at the Pickwick.. I truly reccomend this great restaurant and once you become a customer, you will always go back for more.
(5)Vivian D.
This is the first time I've ever been inclined to write a review about a restaurant but I had to because the food was so dissappointing. This was the first time I ordered from this place - and undoubtedly the last! I'm not sure what everyone else is raving about with this place but my food was just terrible! What I ordered: 1)Orange chicken - there were so many peices of orange rind in the food/sauce it was extremely overpowering and bitter and I couldn't taste anything else but rind. I'm all for using some orange zest to give it a little kick but they used the whole orange peel! I tried wiping some of the sauce off but that just left me with a soggy bland batttered peice of chicken which was not what I wanted to eat in the first place. 2)Won Ton soup - the broth tasted like green beans. If I wanted green bean soup I would've ordered that but the worst of it was the won tons tasted like they were fermenting in the broth for days. I LOVE won ton soup and this was just inedible. 3)"Regular' egg rolls - whatever was supposed to be filled inside the roll was not there. It was basically a hollow chewy deep fried wrapper with a few strands of what I think was cabbage on one side. I ate it since it didn't make me want to spit it out. Hardly a reason to order it again. 4)Yon Chow fried rice - This could have been something I could've whipped up at home with some leftover rice and frozen vegetables. It was exactly that. Nothing special about it at all. t was supposed to have beef, chiocken and shrimp in it. There was no beef and only had 2 shrimp in there.Since it was pretty much the only other edible portion of my meal, I actually ate some of it because I was so starved. Lastly, I'm not sure where Yelp gets their info but I ordered on-line and it said cash only. It also gave me a price (which was certainly too much for this subpar stuff) and when the delivery guy got here, it was $3 extra. Sorry delivery guy but I only collected as much as what the internet said it was. I gaurantee I will NEVER eat from here again.
(1)lani p.
Yes, it's a little pricier than most Chinese places ($1 - $2 more is expensive??? - people are nuts and cheap). The food is not only the best, but it also has ambiance and not a dump like most Chinese restaurants are! I'm so glad we moved to Park Ridge from the city. Now we are able to go to this jem of a place every week! I took a friend there who swears she hates Chinese food. Guess what? She loved it and will be going there from now on.
(5)John F.
Pleasant storefront with appealing modern decor. Food is "Szechuan"-American with generous portions and very good flavor. Excellent hot and sour soup. Fast and pleasant service. A good place to dine in the Park Ridge business district.
(4)nate p.
Delicious! The orange chicken is done the way its supposed to, almost crispy. The Mongolian beef is better than Great Seas, if you can believe that. This is really a great place to eat in, clean downtown Park Ridge location with lots of parking. I give this five stars and will only be eating here for chinese from now on. I have tried all the places in the Niles area, as I have lived here since I was a kid, and this is the best place around. As good as china town, and not greasy, just Delicious.
(5)Amanda P.
Not authentic Szechuan by any stretch of the imagination, so don't get your hopes up (actually, the owners and most of the staff are from Shanghai). However, this place has a lot to recommend it. The decor is deceptively elegant for such a low-priced place. Portions are huge (my husband and I split one entree and one appetizer for lunch and left feeling satisfied). Vegetarian options are abundant and tasty, as well, with a wide variety of vegetables (no frozen peas and carrot cubes here!). I especially recommend the vegetarian potstickers served with Shanghai dumpling vinegar (I could have eaten the whole order by myself), the mushu veggies, and the veggie fried rice. Scallion pancakes were a disappointment, dry and too sweet.
(4)Beverly P.
My husband and I have gone to Venus for 15 years. It recently changed owners and since then, things have taken a turn for the worse. The old owners would come around and check to see if all was okay. The service and food were very good. Now we would not know the owners if they bit us, they have cut down on employees and the service has suffered for it. Drinks now seem to be watered down but the food is still decent and the prices are still reasonable. However, we miss the touch of an engaged owner as well as a decent drink!
(3)Chris J.
I've been here about 5 times and I always get the same entree, Sesame Crispy Pork, it is awesome. Someday I'll try something else from the menu and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. Prices range from around 8$ for chicken and pork dishes to 12 ish for some of the seafood and duck entrees. I have found the portions to be generous.
(5)Vanessa K.
I love Venus and have never had a bad experience there. We were among their first customers when they first opened and have been going ever since. Some of the best items to order are the Szechuan Chicken or Beef, Pork and Green Beans, Garlic Chicken, and their noodle dishes. For an appetizer I really like their shrimp toast and crap ragoon or the sizzling rice soup. They have a full bar and their wine list is very reasonably priced. Plus, the decor is very chic and dramatic so you aren't just eating at any old chinese restaurant. While I love the majority of their food I feel like their fried rice is just ok. There are definetly better options in the area for fried rice.
(4)Michael M.
Venus has never really been able to impress me. The food seems very generic and reminds me of what I can get at Panda Express. On top of that, the price of a meal is high and not worth it if I can just go to the mall and get something similar. Maybe I have just been there at off times, but I have just never really enjoyed my experience at Venus.
(2)Sarah F.
The food is surprisingly mild for a Szechuan restaurant. The decor is very pleasant and the menu has a decent selection of vegetarian food. They serve brown rice upon request (yea).
(3)allison k.
We've ordered from this place twice now. It's not great, but until we find somewhere better, we'll probably order from here again. The fried rice is comparable to Panda Express. The egg rolls are NOT good...don't even waste your time trying them. The sesame chicken is dry, but the sauce is pretty good. It's a little pricey for the quality and authenticity.
(3)Daria Z.
They have a great selection of appetizers and the meals are reasonably priced. The location is great, but I would come here during the lunch hour. The fresh decor is probably one of the best features of the restaurant.
(3)