I recently came back here to eat lunch. We ordered Peking noodles (which is ja jang myung for you Koreans) on the regular dinner menu and honey pepper beef from the lunch menu. The hot and sour soup that comes with the lunch meal literally tasted like thick corn starchy water. Was horrible! It made me wonder if the chefs changed because I've had it here before.. wasn't thaaat bad. The Peking noodles (fried black bean sauce with noodles) was not big compared to the many places in Chicago area you can get a huuge bowl for less than 9$. What made me upset was the baby spoonfulls of sauce they out on top, no joke I should have taken a picture. When I asked for more sauce the server looked at me like I was crazy lol. I don't drench my noodles in sauce but what I was served, no one would expect. Half the bowl was full of cucumbers. . and the "meat" they put in there which is typically pork, looked like small cubes of coagulated blood and tasted old. Man was I so dissapointed. We requested that the honey pepper beef be extra spicy.. of course it just came out sweet. Everytime I come they can never accomodate "extra spicy," then why name the business Szechuan, so misleading.The plate was 80% raw onions, 20% honey pepper beef. I doubt I'd come back.
(2)
Maria R.
First time here. A mixed experience. We had a group of us so I tried a number of dishes. Here's my breakdown: What I liked: - the Chinese food was better than the sushi - I liked the Mongolian beef, combination fried rice and shrimp with lobster sauce - LOVED the mushu pork (like an Asian taco with plum sauce) - I also liked their tempura and pork cutlet (both from the Japanese menu) - atmosphere and decor was nice What I wasn't crazy for: - the maki - not the delicate taste of Japanese maki that I like. The rice was heavy and super sticky. The pieces of salmon and veggies were chunky. The seaweed wrapper was chewy and bland rather than flaky and seasoned. - the smoothies - average cost but much smaller portion. It was about half the size I get elsewhere at the same $3.75 price. Overall just a so-so experience. I would consider going back for the mushu pork.
(3)
Gary C.
Went here with a group of 8. I've eaten at the Chinatown location as well as the one in the west burbs. I was pretty disappointed with the food. A couple of them were okay, but others were just a hot mess. Particarly bad was the salty egg shrimp dish. Completely wrong and resembled something you'd find inside a diaper.
(2)
Linda L.
We ordered Double fried pork intestine: the first time I ordered it, it was really good. Today when I ordered, there was a weird taste in it. It was from the oil. I think they overused the oil. I had the after taste of oil. It was really nasty. Lamb with cumin powder: lamb stir fry with bell pepper, onions and chillies. It's pretty good. A little oily, but it's Chinese food what can I expect. Mapo Tofu: I am not crazy about this dish. Hot and sour soup: it was okay. I'm not a fan.
(3)
AJ M.
My buddy recommended this spot. This used to be the old hana which was a great spot for Asian. My review is for takeout, but I will say the place looks great. Almost too good for a place in a strip mall. Prices seem to go up a little since before, but the menu deff got bigger. Crab Ragoon was pretty solid. I also got the firecracker roll, that was good as well but is at a pretty steap price at $15. Grandma's fried rice and Singapore were both really tasty. My favorites were the cumin lamb and Mongolian beef wow! Overall pretty good takeout, will deff keep this place in mind for the future!
(4)
Michelle M.
We were looking for a Chinese restaurant and found this on yelp. I am surprised it doesn't have higher ratings. Service was a little slow but still good. We had the catonese egg rolls they were hot and not greasy like most at other Chinese restaurants. We ordered the house fried rice it was good. The Lo mien style noodles can't remember what thy called them were excellent as were the salt and pepper prawns. We also ordered the lamb special it was good but it wouldn't be something I would ordered again. I saw a lot of amazing plates on near by tables and happy customers wish we would have found this place sooner...
(4)
Gladys G.
The orange chicken is amazing and the grandmas shrimp fried rice has veggies and egg scrambled in there and uses jumbo shrimp. The flavors are spot on and delicious. Be warned: they don't joke around with "extra spicy".
(5)
Nancy H.
It's what you'd expect from a well-established Chinatown restaurant that expands to the burbs: good food in a nicer setting with better customer service. I'm not sure how it compares to the Chinatown one, but this one is good enough. We've tried numerous dishes, and they're all average to good. Dishes that stand out to me: - crispy shrimp with lemon sauce (very similar to Cantonese "walnut shrimp" sans walnut) - dry chili chicken (beware: don't eat the dry chilis) - sole fish fillet with chili bean sauce (pro tip: take home the leftover sauce and make a stir fry out of it with your choice of protein and/or veggies!) - twice cooked pork Szechuan style - spicy beef noodle soup (very good except the cut of beef they use is not as good as the kind my dad uses; recommend to share between 2 people along with 1-2 other dishes) Their menu is quite extensive, but they have a small chef's recommendations section that is a good place to start if you're overwhelmed. FYI - it's located in a strip mall, and their sign is displayed properly.
(4)
Pam D.
I'm glad we stopped here. The food was quite good. We got there right after they opened so we basically had the place to ourselves. I had garlic chicken and Christopher had orange chicken. The hot and sour soup was good, but not the best I have ever had. The spring rolls were average. They have a lot of unique things on their menu, so I will be eager to return and try more items. The service was fine, but then again we were the only customers.
(4)
Lauren G.
Meh. I really wanted to give this place a four star but they service is not the greatest if you're eating there so I would highly recommend to go. Their spicy chili chicken is the most popular with a shit ton and I mean a SHIT ton of chili peppers -literally and figuratively if you know what I'm sayin-ouch! But really good just way toooo spicy ! Overall their food is great it really is! Their crab Rangoon is crunchy and creamy full of cream cheese and small crab bits, their dumplings are soft and chewy just perfect the meat is top notch from their chili chicken to their sesame chicken to their noodles just over all great. The smoothies with tapioca are pretty good but the Tapioca balls tend to be on the harder than softer side-ha-anyways I digress-last time I was there I was getting the food as leftovers after dining in and a fly was on my plate i mean I def didn't take it to go then. I don't think their unsanitary I know that stuff happens and it just flew on to my plate but still threw the whole thing off for me so to go is definitely where it's at
(3)
Terry A.
Delivery service was super fast, but the food was so expensive and I got the famous dry chilli chicken and it wasnt even spicy nothing exciting about the mongolian beef it was large chunks and watery liquid the chow mein was so dry I'm sorry but this isn't the good Chinese food I'm used to Chicago north side 60625 has the best Chinese places
(3)
Jon S.
Worst service EVER! Waited 20 minutes to be spoken to and it was crowded but not that crowded. Seated for a long time before we got water. Then we ordered everything and waited about 10 minutes between every dish. We ordered 3 smoothies and they came out one at a time about 10 minutes between each one. And this was after soup and egg rolls. We spent nearly 2 hours there for a quick meal. The egg rolls were excellent. The soup was pretty good. Basil chicken and fried rice were good. Mongolian beef was tasty but lacking in beef and the onions were powerfully strong. I did not care for the sole which was a chef specialty. I may pick up from here again. But I will not dine in.
(2)
Sherry Y.
Still pretty consistent with the last time we went there. One of the members in our party kept speaking Chinese to the servers and assumed they understood the language. One of our servers didn't and it was originally our fault to begin with the assumption. Another server apologized and explained that the other server wasn't Chinese. How is that not excellent service?
(4)
Angela L.
Came here for lunch wanting to give this place a try. Although they mostly sell Chinese dishes on their menu, they also have a similar menu to Hana (previously owned Japanese cuisine) The decor and ambience is pretty much the same as I remembered for Hana. I ordered a lunch beef bento box with a shrimp tempura roll while my boyfriend ordered a unadon bento box. It came with miso soup and salad which tasted very fresh. The shrimp tempura was extra crunchy but was pretty small for the price. Overall, the food was pretty good but I'd have to come back for other menu items.
(4)
Nicole M.
Disappointing. First of all, it was freezing cold inside the restaurant. Had to keep our coats on while we ate. Secondly, it took FOREVER to get our food. The sushi roll we ordered came out around the time we should be getting dessert. We weren't even hungry anymore. The only good thing was that the food tasted decent.
Went there with a groupon last night and food was very good. Got the Dry Chili Chicken, Sze Chuan String Beans, Beef flat rice noodles, and the tofu with salty egg. Everything was amazing and delicious. The only thing I didn't like too much was the tofu, but that's more of a personal preference and not the quality of the food. I believe if you liked that kind of food, I am sure you would enjoy it. The service was impeccable. The manager came by a number of times to check on us but wasn't too imposing. Overall a very good experience. Also, it was quite busy for a Wednesday night. Always a good sign.
(4)
AJ K.
On our most recent (3rd) visit to the relatively new Lao in Skokie, we were beyond impressed. The food was outstanding. We ordered Egg Rolls, Lychee Bubble tea, Chef's dry chili chicken, pork mooshu (off menu) pancakes, eggplant in garlic sauce, and Sze Chuan green beans. Each dish was cooked perfectly, especially the fried app/entree, which was crisp, hot and fresh tasting (not the smelly oil we often get in Chinese restaurants all over America). The food is not quite as intense (or spicy) as the original Archer Ave location (that made chef Tony an internationally renowned name in the culinary world), but very balanced and palatable to most of us mere mortals. While still maintaining their flavor profile and a kick, the dishes at this location don't give your tongue a lashing of red chilies. As amazing as the food was, the service was extraordinary. Gone are the days of Chinese run restaurants being associated with awful service and rude behavior. The manager at this Lao location - Robert - is a one man hospitality machine, who puts on a clinic everyday on how to make patrons feel valued and welcome. He greeted us warmly, remembering us from our last visit, playfully indulged our little 19 month old, ran about the restaurant making sure we had everything we needed for the little one instantly, and accomplished all of this while making eloquent and pleasant conversation with us (every chance he got) through the entirety of our visit. Kudos to Robert for running the restaurant as well as he does. We plan to visit this restaurant regularly, as it has truly earned our admiration and business!
(5)
Jonathan C.
The wife and I got take out, we were really excited to grab food from here as the Chinese near us is sub-par and now we didn't have to make a trip to China Town (or our usual go to spot 'China Chef' in Morton Grove). So we put our order in online with a pickup time of 20 minutes.... I get there about 25 minutes after ordering and they tell me it will be another 10-15 minutes. Basically this is annoying. I'm not saying that it needs to be ready in 20 minutes, but tell me 30-40 minutes and then I'll head over in due course. The food, well the chili chicken was good, but I wish it wasn't just fried chicken with chili around it...... the shrimp dish and the veg were good, but nothing too memorable. I'm sure I'll give this another try again, but not sure when.
(3)
Sophia H.
I liked Lao Sze Chuan, and it is situated in a nice area in Skokie. While their food is great, I found their service to be a little lackluster. Just a tip: some of their Chinese servers do not speak Chinese, which is actually fine, but out of the three people that were there, it seemed like there was one person that actually understood what we wanted. When we asked the other two people--in English and Chinese--about whether one of our dishes was being prepared (we waited a long time for one of the dishes so we weren't sure if they forgot to put it in), they kind of looked at us like we had no idea what we were talking about. Our server, who seemed like she understood everything fixed it but it seemed like the other two resorted to her to fix problems, which is slightly concerning. There is a fish dish that is super spicy and contains bamboo root, seafood, and other vegetables. This dish is SUPER spicy! I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. Everything else was superb and contained a great degree of tastiness, but I wouldn't consider it anything special to any other Szechuan places I have tried. That being said, I will probably come back here when I am in Chicago again.
(3)
Howard L.
We had a nice lunch stop here for Szechaun style dishes. We don't frequent the Lao restaurants very much, so we can't compare to the others, but the two signature dishes we had were just fine. We tried the dry chili chicken ($7.95) and crispy shrimp in lemon sauce ($9.45). Both tasted great and flavorful to us, with just white rice and no MSG per our request. The lunch menu entrees come with a soup and an appetizer (spring roll or crab rangoon). This place has a nice modern decor, and offers a limited beer and wine selection, as well as sushi offerings. It was good to try this place, and we may one day try these dishes (just for comparison) in one of the Chinatown locations.
(4)
Evan L.
had a few more dishes some of which I would not recommend. A spicy tuna roll was soft the nori wasn't toasted and the satay was bad, it was deep fried and the sauce was like no peanut sauce I ever tasted. It tasted like it did not have peanuts in it. The food is spicy as requested and the won ton soup and basil chicken (yes even at a thai restaurant) are the best I ever had. If your waitstaff acts as if they don'y understand you-they don't. Have not tried the dry chili dishes yet but they do look hot.
(4)
Sherwin C.
Great food, good prices, excellent flavors, good portion sizes, great plating.Tony's Lao Sze Chuan restaurants are undoubtedly the best place to go in the Chicago area if you are looking for great Szechaun food. This location has a bit more of an upscale feeling to it and is much less crowded compared to the Chinatown location. Tea: Much nicer tea than you'll find at most restaurants. When I ordered this, I believe I was served dragonwell. Spicy cabbage: A bit less spicy than you'll find the Chinatown location but still a great way to start off the meal. Crab Rangoons: Despite being an authentic Chinese restaurant, they make some of the best crab rangooons you'll find here. Very crispy skin with just the right amount of filling, I don't think you'll find a more refined version of this anywhere else. Hot wok style beef: Tender beef and slightly spicy. The mix of the chilis for heat and green onions for flavor make this a very enjoyable dish. Beef Brisket Noodle Soup Szechuan Style: Tender brisket with noodles that are just soft enough to slurp. The beef broth was flavorful but not overpoweringly salty. Crispy Shrimp with Lemon Sauce: Nice large crispy shrimp with a light lemon sauce. Great alternative to the mayonaisse and honey shrimp many people associate with Chinese food. Chef Special Sole Fish Fillet Tofu: Really spicy but really good. The tofu is extremely tender and matched very well with tender sole. Excellently prepared with a ton of flavor -- highly recommended. Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken: If you think you love spicy fried chicken, you need to try this dish. Nobody does it as well as Lao Sze Chuan (except possibly Mapo in Naperville), excellent crispiness, just the right amount of saltiness, and an amazing aroma of chilis puts this in the category of life-altering experiences. The beef version of this dish also excellent as well. Crispy Eggplant with Ground Pork: Excellent combination of a crispy exterior but tender and flavorful eggplant on the inside. Lamb with Pure Cumin Powder: Best version of this dish outside TL's Four Seasons that you'll find. Jalapenos, onions, and chili mixed with cumin and tenderly cooked lamb make for a wonderful dish. Xiao Long Bao: Although a little light in the soup inside, the superior flavor of the both and excellent preparation of the pork make this one of the best you'll find in the area next to Hing Kee and the now closed Yilin. Sole FIsh Fillet Black Bean Sauce: Very nice tender and meaty fish with a simple black bean sauce. A little salty, but goes great with plenty of rice. Tofu with salty egg paste: Good tofu, but wasn't a huge fan of the salty egg paste preparation. If you plan to try tofu here, try one of the spicy preparations with dry chili. Honey Garlic Pepper Beef Tenderloin: Amazing. I've had several similarly named dishes that were a mess of sweetness and had either too much or too little garlic. This contains perfectly tender pieces of beef tenderloin with crispy edges and a strong hint of garlic. This is perfectly balanced by just the right amount of honey to heighten a completely balanced mix of sweetness and saltniess. The only other similar dish I can think of that makes me smile as much is Sun Shui's cripsy szechuan beef. Fresh Garlic Peapod Leaves: Excellent garlic flavor and very tasty broth with very fresh peapod leaves. Great dish to demonstrate that vegetables can be prepared in a simple but very tasty and healthy way at the same time. Mango sago dessert: Delicious flavors of mango with just the right amount of sago for starchiness, this is a great way to end a delicious meal. Overall, another great Lao Sze Chuan restaurant with consistently excellent food and good service.
(5)
Alan S.
In this review, I will write a review based on the following criteria: location/place of business, mgmt/staff service, cuisine, cleanliness/sanitation , hours open, pricing and ambiance. Location/place: The business replaced the Hana Asian Fusion restaurant. The business has a location not far from the edens expressway and a short distance from the Old Orchard Mall. Business is located in a shopping mall across the street from the IHOP pancake house. I give a rate of 4. Hours open: The business has similar hours open as the past business and you will find ease of convenience for lunch and dinner. I give a rate of 4 Pricing: Pricing for lunch and dinner range from the $10-$30 range. I didn't feel it was an expensive place to have lunch or dinner. From my perspective, the pricing is moderate. I give a rate of 4. Mgmt/staff service: As we had lunch in the restaurant area, the receptionist/ waitstaff provided alot of attention to our questions and information on the different foods from the menu. She always gave good attention to detail description of cuisine and delivered the food in order and timing. I give a rate of 5. Cuisine: We had an order of mongolian lamb and an asian chicken. Growing up with balkan cuisine, I can say the lamb had good taste along with the onions and pepper. The meat was fresh and tasty. Chicken had an excellent taste and cooked with tenderness. We had green tea and it complemented the meal along with a bowl of rice. I give a rate of 4. Sanitation/Cleanliness: The mgmt definitely did not differ from the past owners regarding sanitation/cleanliness. The tables are clean and the restroom area have been maintained by the staff in proper sanitary condition. I give a rate of 5. Ambiance: As for the ambiance, we enjoyed the lunch experience at this restaurant listening to the Christmas music in the background. Definitely, we will come back later to this place in the future. At the time, we were lucky enough to find the place with not too much people and enjoyed our lunch experience. I give a rate of 4. In conclusion, I give a total rate of 4 for this establishment.
(4)
Jiyoun B.
We're a regular for garlic pea pod leaves and dry chili chicken. Those chickens are addictive!
(5)
Jeff E.
Some of the best Chinese outside of Chinatown and certainly the north shore. Stick with the house specials or if dining in ask the waitstaff they know what is good. We ordered non spicy dishes and asked for spicy. They were great, nice accommodation. Chicken wing appetizer is fantastic the sauce is like molten lava resist temptation let them cool 15 minutes and enjoy!
(4)
Contessa R.
Updating for the food. Service is lacking. For example I asked to have the smoothie at the end, but she brought it out BEFORE the food. Like right after we gave our order, and I told her clearly and twice, to have the smoothie at the end, she went right away to make it. Like I heard the blender and was like: "is that ours?!! I hope not...." Anyway, food is A+. Highly recommend the food, you will be satisfied.
(4)
Jon C.
It was ok, but I felt like I did not get my money worth because the portions are small for the expensive price. I got take out and ordered the dry chili chicken, cumin lamb, and some other dishes but the dry chili chicken, more than half the order is chili and what ever chicken you do get is diced up to the size of a dime and then battered and deep fried to make them look like bigger pieces. Not only that but the cumin lamb is the same standard, they use the paper thin slices(similar to the size you get at the deli counter at the grocery store), the cuts are tough chewy with a lot of big pieces of tendons. It is rather expensive for the quality and quantity of meat and ingredients.
(2)
Elaine M.
We went to Lao Sze Chuan Skokie for the first time tonight. We like the Chinatown location, and I believe they have the same menu. Everything we ordered was flavorful and tender. (See photos and descriptions). The fried dishes came out hot and crispy. If it was marked as spicy, it was SPICY. Our waitress was a bit overbearing, but in a nice Chinese Grandma sort of way. Three different people made sure our water glasses were always full. Restaurant was clean and comfortable. All the delivery guys were busy the whole time we were there. We are looking forward to sampling the rest of the menu in the coming months.
(5)
Matthew N.
This is the best Chinese place around Skokie. Unfortunately, that's not saying much. Definitely not my favorite place in the world, but it'll do if I don't wish to drive twenty minutes for the good Chinese food.
(3)
Steve D.
One of the largest Chinese chain under Tony gourmet group is now comes to Skokie after the Downtown Evanston opened not long ago. They are serving huge menu as other chain Lao Sze Chuan does, some high line of the menu is the "hand made" noodle soup. 6 or 7 different favors or meat wise to choose, spicy or not spicy. We tried the Szechuan string bean, 100% vegetarian, very nice favor. The tender tofu with sole fish fillet, I think this is one of the Mose authentic Chinese cuisines that I had in my life. Super super spicy!!! The vegetarian chicken shanghai style is my LOVE. Chicken letter cup and the spicy chicken wings on the hot appetizer menu are something u must try out!
(5)
Lori L.
Just tried for the first time. OK, this is really authentic! Highlights: Wonderful green bean appetizer made with fermented black beans and little deep friend bits of tofu (taking the place of pork). Pea pod stems with fresh garlic. Huge quantity of Mapu Tofu. We will be going back for more. (We're vegetarians, and the menu is clearly marked so there is no guesswork.) A huge dinner for 3 (with ample leftovers that will serve as another full mean) for under $40. Two suggestions: Ask them to hold (or go light) on the MSG. I am sure they'll be happy to do so. We didn't, and got that tingly tongue feeling. Also, you can ask for wooden chop sticks (those plastic ones are hard to use). Very exciting news for Skokie, and this new restaurant was appreciated--just open one month (8/2014), and barely an empty table tonight!
(4)
Gary S.
All I can say is I ordered my food at 6:10pm called twice finally received my cold hard food at 9pm what a joke . They tried to tell me they were having trouble receiving my order , yet when I called to complain they didn't ask me to give them my order again. Then the guy disconnected me on the phone when I called back he said they forgot to make it. 2 different stories
(1)
Nate D.
I love the food here. I've eaten at other LSC locations in the area (Uptown + Evanston) and not been too impressed, but the 3rd time was the charm with Lao Sze Chuan by Old Orchard. GREAT FOOD! GREAT SERVICE! It all starts with the amazing waitstaff who take a "team approach" to service, and are very helpful. They are so friendly and accommodating to families with small children, that we keep coming back almost weekly now! I recommend the Honey Sesame Chicken -- it's crispy, sweet and savory. Also the Bao -- which were scrumptuous little meat dumplings. The Lo Mein/Chow Mein is delicious and not too greasy. I mean the menu is huge and I'm picking off the American-friendly courses, but judging by the very diverse crowd, it's got great authentic cuisine too!
(5)
Monica S.
The only good thing about this place is that at the time of writing, the rice is free, unlike the other Lao locations in Chicago and Evanston! Otherwise, on the day I came with two friends, the service was sloppy--our waiters would spill small amounts of sauce on the table and not clean up. The vegetarian noodles here are bland and too oily, though my friends claim the meat based dishes were delicious. To be fair, when I went, they had just opened, so I'll give them a second chance in the future.
(3)
Chris T.
I used to live in Chicago and Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown was a regular spot for me. While in town for business, I found that they opened a location in Skokie. Using Grubhub, I had some Tony's Chicken and Mapo Tofu delivered to my hotel. The food was just as good as the Chinatown location. I highly recommend Lao Sze Chuan.
(5)
Sue R.
I do not know what is worse. The quality of the food or the service. When this place was Hana it was wonderful. I have been here a few times and nothing changes. I will never be back again and I intend to tell everybody I know how terrible this place is
(1)
Rachel K.
I am very disappointed with the service at this restaurant. My family and I have been to this branch at least a dozen times since December 2014. Yesterday my parents wanted to go for lunch. They told me there was a groupon available for lunch, for 2 or more. I read the fine print, and bought the groupon. We arrived, ordered 3 entrees from the lunch menu, and when we asked for the check, I told the server we had a groupon. She said that we couldn't use the groupon because we had ordered from the lunch menu. I reread the fine print, no such restriction. I pointed that out to her. Then she said her manager told her it was only good for 2 people. I showed her where it said in big print, lunch for 2 or more. I asked for the manager. She refused to get the manager, said they weren't available. Then she said she asked if we had a groupon when we sat down, and sorry, this was a blatant lie. She didn't ask about a groupon. I guess they didn't count on anyone actually using the groupon, just wanted some free publicity. Paid the check, and she offered to take 5% off if we paid in cash. Other times, they offered to take 10% off if we paid in cash. The whole experience was weird and bad. The food was ok. The spicy dishes were ok, the mild dishes were swimming in corn starch, such that there were clots of it and I couldn't tell the chicken pieces from the corn starch clots. The poor and unprofessional service was completely arbitrary and unresponsive. And why the discount for cash payment? Seems sort of fishy to me. Groupon took care of this for me, gave me a refund, but I don't understand not honoring your own advertisements. There are plenty of other options. I won't reward poor behavior or service.
(1)
khatty k.
We have been here 3 times and have always hoped for improvements but still leave disappointed in the ingredients used for their dishes. We like the Chinatown location better. If you enjoy eating lots of bamboo shoots/spring onions or carbo or fatty meat, you will definitely not be disappointed. Their dishes seem to lack the appropriate Chinese dish proportions. Even the sweet and sour chicken has more flour than needed. The chow mien has more spring onions than a table spoon of vegetables! Lastly, they needed more waitresses - adding just one more would help. Thumbs up for the nice bowl of rice and ambiance. Around the vicinity, I would recommend for Kim's (Glenview) for chinese take-out and AkaiHana (Wilmitte) for sushi. I wonder if not trying this place will help w the review.
(2)
Das T.
Have had Lao's in Chinatown and at the new one in Evanston. Both were great. But we got takeout from this particular location recently and it was quite a disappointment from the quality of the other 2 places. Won't be coming to this one anymore. Cashews were left out of a dish. Veggies were inappropriately soggy. Chicken was over-fried. Ugh!!
(2)
Daniel S.
Best Chinese food I've ever had. Only ordered delivery and carry out so I can't comment on dine in service.
This is a hidden gem...loved the chinese food here. Really spicy and awesome taste. Hot wok chicken is really good. Noodles are also awesome...overall its a great restaurant.
(4)
Sandy M.
I LOVE szechuan food, and LOVE spicy food, and Lao Sze Chuan did not disappoint! We ordered two starters (green beans with black beans, and pork dumplings) both were delicious! Our meals (Singapore noodles and Fish with pickled chili sauce) were amazing. Expertly prepared and delicious! The service was super friendly too!
(5)
Tanya J.
Let's just say, it's good, for the convenience. We go to Chinatown often and this location is about $3-4 more per dish than the ones in Chinatown, but then I don't have to drive down. My hubby got the Lamb Cumin (his favorite dish) which was not as good as the Chinatown location because the taste was not as strong. I got the spicy beef noodle soup which I thought was really good and there was a decent amount of noodles. Our kids shared a bento box which was just ok. We'll definitely go again but may not be a part of the routine.
(3)
Barbara K.
Authentic cuisine using fresh ingredients. Lots of fellow diners spoke Chinese so it might be true. The food is very spicy and I have to be careful that I don't order items marked with a red chile. So beware if you are sensitive to hot food. Wait staff is efficient and polite. Decor is comfortable and attractive. Pricing is fair. By far the best Chinese restaurant in Skokie, Wilmette, Evanston and vicinity.
(4)
Effie D.
Huge menu, tasty food, never crowded, clean and nice service.
(4)
Linda T.
Really disappointed by this place. We used to go there a lot when it was Hana but am really sad about the new management. Came in 20minutes after they opened and the floor was dirty. The uniforms the staff wore has different samples of the food all dried up. The lunch special order for 2people got mixed up twice. In addition sushi came out before miso and salad. Additional order of sushi (not my order) got delivered to the table. When I told the waitress it is not mine she placed the plate on the table and left. Then picked it up a minute later. Who wants an order that sat on strangers table? Food was ok.
(1)
Steve A.
The best Chinese food I've had in my 15 years of living in the area! Everything was very fresh and flavorful. The double-fried noodles had the perfect mix of soft vs. crispy noodles, the home-style tofu was prepared in a wonderful chili sauce, and the mixed vegetable noodle soup was chock full of fresh veggies and chewy noodles. Even the water glasses were continually refilled. If I had to critique something, I'd have to say that the amount of soup broth to "stuff" was lacking, making the second servings a bit dry...and the soup was served directly with the other entrees, instead of beforehand. Nothing earth-shattering. We'll definitely be back.
(4)
Shiyun Z.
The one in Evanston will be better than this one, don't suggest to go here for food.
(3)
Sana B.
My brother in law and sister love this place. I think the food takes too long to come and what's with the extra charge for hot sauce? How about some customer appreciation? However, I am giving 4 stars because of their spicy scallop roll. I only get the basic roll because it doesn't seem worth it to get anything else. They're not cheap with the meat at all. It's actually quite filling. The only reason I go back.
(4)
Andrea H.
I've been here several times and their food has been fine but nothing to write home about. And then tonight I learned that all the soups that are supposed to be vegetarian, are made with chicken stock. They will make them with water upon request (hmm- vegetables and noodles in water, I don't think so - I can do that at home!) but otherwise, if you think the soups that are clearly identified as vegetarian are vegetarian, they are NOT! I was told that they will reprint menus in the spring. I was also told, theoretically by the manager that he has trained all the waitstaff to let customers know about the misprint, but this was the first time I have ever been told in all of my visits. I asked how the tofu would be prepared in the tofu with vegetables and he said it would be lightly fried. It came steamed. The dish could not have been more bland. When the manager/waiter came back at the end to ask how everything was, I said, "Just okay" and he said, "great" and left us the bill. Later, I gave him some feedback on the very serious issue with the menu (for people who require vegetarian food for health or religious reasons), the misrepresentation of the food I ordered, and the fact that he asked a question but had not actually listened to the answer. He then offered me 15% off my next visit in exchange for my trouble. No thanks. There will not be a next visit.
(1)
Alex P.
Something that Gordon would say. "Stunning and Amazing" just not exactly in a good way. The food was very good. But the kitchen was horrifically slow this night. I was half expecting to hear Gordon screaming from the kitchen...sadly he was not there... We had szechuan string beans -YUM! and cumin lamb, also YUM! The wraps were ok. And the poor servers were scrambling to keep the patrons happy. Felt sorry for them really. So. Was it worth the wait? Let's just say that i am willing to go again. But i expect them to get their act together and speed up! Otherwise, there are other places to go.
(3)
John C.
Dishes are inconsistent. Some delicious and authentic and some mediocre and westernized. Could use a guide as to what's what!
(3)
H. O.
Food was bland and spicy. I'll explain. The food lacked and seasoning except hot chili peppers and pepper flakes. We ordered apps -- fried shrimp, egg rolls and crab rangoon. The shrimp was overly breaded. The egg rolls and crab rangoon were serviceable. We ordered veggie fried rice. It was good. The Szechuan chicken and beef with broccoli were wretched. No seasoning on either dish and the chicken dish was so hot that it burnt my palate -- and I like spicy. Not worth the funds. No wonder they were empty. Meh and bleh.
(2)
Batman S.
Over price everything is too salty I had to drink a lot of water.
(1)
Rob Y.
I went there today with my wife. The lady hated our Groupon, was reluctant to accept it and tried hard to not accept it. I told her I will pay the tax portion of the bill separately. She said " you have to pay this tax and tip and you want to add 18% or 25% in tip"? I told her it is up to me as the customer to decide to pay the tip or not and how much we want to tip. She than suggested we pay 12% tip. Basically she was just standing in front of us while we are sitting demanding tip and the amount of her choosing. When I pulled out my credit card, she said you pay tax and tip in cash. The other customers heard this too. I gave her $10 extra in cash as tip and left the restaurant in shock. This is outrageous!
(1)
Pete C.
I had lunch here around 2pm on a Monday and it wasn't to busy. I was able to pick my seating which was nice. I enjoyed my meal which was a Combination fried rice & beef potstickers. The only down side to my experience was that the appetizer & meal were served at the same time but besides that definitely recommend this joint. Has some pretty tasty food.
(5)
Will C.
Very happy they finally opened a Lao Sze Chuan in Skokie. Had dinner here a couple days ago, and as usual, very good. Service was very good. We had waters filled when the glass was still 90% full lol. Not sure if its because we know the owners or anything, but not complaining. We had the Dry Chili Chicken, cabbage, Dry Chili Lamb (custom dish), dry chili prawns, and all were delicious. We'll be customizing another dish next time. Maybe dry chili scallop?
(5)
Shosh S.
Great food and service! I came here with a group of 12 people and was pleasantly surprised with the service. The waiters were very attentive and good at answering questions. We ordered one large bowl of the hot and sour soup and one of the house special hot and sour soup. It was delicious but warning, the house special hot and sour soup is very spicy! Perfect for people who love spice but a bit over the top of people sensitive to spice. I ordered the the salt and pepper tofu, and for such a simple dish it was so flavorful! We also got the vegetable chow mian which was also tasty and not too greasy. Overall the quality of the food was very good and I am excited to come back.
(5)
Ryan M.
The food was really good and the place was very fast with having it ready for pick up.
(4)
Jimmy G.
I've dined in a couple of times at this location and I've dined in at the Chinatown location several times as well. We've recently moved to the Southeast side of Glenview and fortunately the Skokie Lao has a delivery radius that hits our house. My first few visits, I ordered many of the house favorites, Tony's Chicken, 3 Chilli, etc. They are great dishes but I've honed in on our favorite orders and they are "back to basics" dishes but I have to say they are the best made standard Chinese dishes I've been able to find in Chicago. We order the large Wonton soup, General's Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Crab Rangoon and Moo Shu Chicken. Nothing strange or fancy....but Lao uses the freshest ingredients, higher quality proteins and they make dumplings and side dishes in house by hand. I lived in San Francisco for several years, and I've been so disappointed by Chinese food in Chicago...until I found Lao. The wonton soup is the best I've ever had and the Mongolian Beef is a dish I would happily pay $25 for...it's the bargain dish of the country at $13. Generals chicken is something that should be so easy to make well, but every other place in Chicago uses crap chicken that seems as if it was frozen in the breading and I have to force it down. Lao's Generals chicken is flawless and I could eat it day after day. I'm so thankful this place has made it to the North Shore region and I hope you get a chance to enjoy it.
(5)
Jae S.
Some of the best Sichuanese cuisine I've had! This location was a newer one so they still had a few kinks in the service to iron out but the food was spot on! I had the Fish with Pickled Chili sauce. The flavor was everything I was hoping it would be! My girlfriend liked her Singapore noodles and I think I ate almost all the dumplings! The spice level was right where it needed to be. I like that they have a "non-spicy" menu so they can really amp it up on the spicier food. The green beans and black beans were so good they have made their way into the rotation in our dinners at home.
(5)
Lillia P.
Ok, so as you can see by my previous reviews I tend to review quite a bit and I am so disappointed by this place. I can see the previous reviews are good, im guessing these are mostly based on the foot. I'm actually sitting at the restaurant writing this now. We had a party of 16 and after calling to confirm our reservation at 3pm earlier that day and being told it was fine, we show up and they say oh and have to scramble to put a table together. The one star review is based on the service alone, the food was actually very good however the service was probably the worst service I have ever had in my life. I go to sushi at least once a week and I cannot believe the service I had. I understand there is a language barrier however the fact of the matter is the service was unacceptable. We sat at our table for about twenty minutes without menus. One of our party got up and grabbed menus himself, then we sat there for another twenty minutes with still no one stop by. Finally I got up and asked if we can have service. Finally the waitress came and took our orders. The orders started coming one by one slowly, not even in the right order. Half of it was wrong and one of the couples didn't get their order until everyone was done eating. It was complete chaos and very unorganized. Also, apparently we were supposed to all get miso soup and after everyone had finished eating, a person in our party received a giant bowl of miso soup because the waiter felt bad? What are we supposed to do with a giant bowl of miso soup?? I really hope the management team reads this review and takes note. This is my first time here and based on the service alone, I will not be back based on the service alone.
(1)
B A.
Avg to below. Get better tasting food from my neighborhood delivery. Food oversalted and very bland flavors. Spicy stuff just spicy but lacks depth of flavoring. Only thing of ten dishes worth getting was lamb with cumin. Disappointed. Sad thing is we are huge fans of Chinatown location. Not even close to same restaurant or food experience. Feels like Tony Y sold out to do this suburban one under same name. Fools you into wasting money here.
(2)
Abraham S.
The service was friendly and quick. There were plenary of servers available to help if an extra napkin or plate was needed. The food was also very good but had a little to much sauce. Overall, very happy with my first visit here.
(5)
Young S.
I have been looking for a close and yummy place to eat I searched up on yelp Local Chinese Food and this popped up. I am so glad it did, because the food is amazing! I love the soup dumplings and Mongolian beef
(5)
Arian B.
First, lets get this out of the way. The food is great at all Lao Sze Chuan restaurants. But this review is not due to the food. This review is in regards to the terrible management process at this restaurant. So lets begin: At 11:30 AM on (10/24/14) Friday, a group of co-workers showed up to have, what we believed, is the best Chinese food in Skokie. To begin we sat at our table for 15 minutes without a waiter approaching us to take an order. I had to flag the manager (Man in a Blue Shirt) to tell him and he quickly grabbed someone to take our order. 15 minutes passes and we all begin to see our food. Except for 1 person. We ate our food and our co-worker still does not see his food. An additional 20 minutes follows with no food. Finally a person from the kitchen shows up confused about what my co-co-worker ordered and had to clarify (5) times before she walked away in confusion. The manager swings by and asks if our co-worker got his food or not. We state no, he has not. Another 20 minutes go by and we finally get the order. By this time, my co-worker wanted it to go because we were already late for work and did not get our food in time. They wrapped the food up and gave it back to us with (1) Single Check. I specifically requested prior to ordering, separate checks (We have done this before and had no issue). The full check arrives. after waiting for over an hour to get one of our co-workers food and to not get our request correct, put us over the edge. I run up to the manager and explain to him that we waited for over an hour on our co-workers meal and we originally requested separate checks. We would like to see some compensation on this meal. He states OK and will see what he can do. He returns, asking us to individually tell him what we ordered and i interrupt him and tell him, the minimum he can do is compensate our co-worker who has not eaten after waiting over an hour. He looks away from me and they bring us our separate checks. With NO COMPENSATION. It is unfortunate, because a simple re-reimbursement due to their negligence of their customer base made us all agree not to go back there again because of the poor service. We work for a large corporation within the neighborhood and we will be informing everyone not to go to this restaurant. If management was understaffed, they should have considered the fact that it is Friday at Lunch at a restaurant with a good name. I suggest "Tony" re-trains his management at this location, because if this has happened to us, i am fairly sure it will happen to other members as well. Not a good start to this restaurant chain.
(1)
Romeo Q.
Ordered the dry chili chicken, which is one of this chain's signature items, Mongolian beef tenderloin, and beef fried rice. Items were tasty, perhaps a bit too salty, and reasonably priced. It just wasn't spectacular. Service is prompt and courteous, although we got a strange disappointed look when we declined a box for our few leftovers. Restaurant is nice and clean, unlike the one in Chinatown.
(3)
Kevin S.
Great food and fair prices. Home made noodles made on the spot if you order a noodle soup. Sushi is very good and fresh. Sushi rice pretty good. Great small individual saki bottles.
(5)
T E.
This used to be Hana Bistro, which we had frequented often; now under new ownership as Lao Sze Chuan, I'm glad the food is still quite good and area delivery acceptably prompt. We have only dined in once since new ownership and it was a complete disaster - suffice to say, take-out will be their bread and butter until and unless they get themselves more organized for dining-in custom. However, their standard fare, such as spring rolls, cantonese egg rolls, crab rangoon, combination fried rice, orange beef, kung pao chicken, mushu pork, spare ribs, etc. - all are consistently tasty and generally arrive good and warm. The maki rolls need a little work. The godzilla roll is still my go-to, but I've tried several others. A few times the maki arrived with ingredients other than described or missing garnish of fish roe or eel. One thing I truly appreciate about their take-out is that when you ask for "extra spicey" they deliver extra spicey; if you ask for extra wasabi pea - you get it! They are a bit on the pricey side, though; if they lowered their prices a buck or two per entree, we'd order once a week instead of once a month.
(4)
Jon S.
Worst service EVER! Waited 20 minutes to be spoken to and it was crowded but not that crowded. Seated for a long time before we got water. Then we ordered everything and waited about 10 minutes between every dish. We ordered 3 smoothies and they came out one at a time about 10 minutes between each one. And this was after soup and egg rolls. We spent nearly 2 hours there for a quick meal. The egg rolls were excellent. The soup was pretty good. Basil chicken and fried rice were good. Mongolian beef was tasty but lacking in beef and the onions were powerfully strong. I did not care for the sole which was a chef specialty. I may pick up from here again. But I will not dine in.
(2)
Rob Y.
I went there today with my wife. The lady hated our Groupon, was reluctant to accept it and tried hard to not accept it. I told her I will pay the tax portion of the bill separately. She said " you have to pay this tax and tip and you want to add 18% or 25% in tip"? I told her it is up to me as the customer to decide to pay the tip or not and how much we want to tip. She than suggested we pay 12% tip. Basically she was just standing in front of us while we are sitting demanding tip and the amount of her choosing. When I pulled out my credit card, she said you pay tax and tip in cash. The other customers heard this too. I gave her $10 extra in cash as tip and left the restaurant in shock. This is outrageous!
(1)
Pete C.
I had lunch here around 2pm on a Monday and it wasn't to busy. I was able to pick my seating which was nice. I enjoyed my meal which was a Combination fried rice & beef potstickers. The only down side to my experience was that the appetizer & meal were served at the same time but besides that definitely recommend this joint. Has some pretty tasty food.
(5)
Will C.
Very happy they finally opened a Lao Sze Chuan in Skokie. Had dinner here a couple days ago, and as usual, very good. Service was very good. We had waters filled when the glass was still 90% full lol. Not sure if its because we know the owners or anything, but not complaining. We had the Dry Chili Chicken, cabbage, Dry Chili Lamb (custom dish), dry chili prawns, and all were delicious. We'll be customizing another dish next time. Maybe dry chili scallop?
(5)
Shosh S.
Great food and service! I came here with a group of 12 people and was pleasantly surprised with the service. The waiters were very attentive and good at answering questions. We ordered one large bowl of the hot and sour soup and one of the house special hot and sour soup. It was delicious but warning, the house special hot and sour soup is very spicy! Perfect for people who love spice but a bit over the top of people sensitive to spice. I ordered the the salt and pepper tofu, and for such a simple dish it was so flavorful! We also got the vegetable chow mian which was also tasty and not too greasy. Overall the quality of the food was very good and I am excited to come back.
(5)
Ryan M.
The food was really good and the place was very fast with having it ready for pick up.
(4)
Jimmy G.
I've dined in a couple of times at this location and I've dined in at the Chinatown location several times as well. We've recently moved to the Southeast side of Glenview and fortunately the Skokie Lao has a delivery radius that hits our house. My first few visits, I ordered many of the house favorites, Tony's Chicken, 3 Chilli, etc. They are great dishes but I've honed in on our favorite orders and they are "back to basics" dishes but I have to say they are the best made standard Chinese dishes I've been able to find in Chicago. We order the large Wonton soup, General's Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Crab Rangoon and Moo Shu Chicken. Nothing strange or fancy....but Lao uses the freshest ingredients, higher quality proteins and they make dumplings and side dishes in house by hand. I lived in San Francisco for several years, and I've been so disappointed by Chinese food in Chicago...until I found Lao. The wonton soup is the best I've ever had and the Mongolian Beef is a dish I would happily pay $25 for...it's the bargain dish of the country at $13. Generals chicken is something that should be so easy to make well, but every other place in Chicago uses crap chicken that seems as if it was frozen in the breading and I have to force it down. Lao's Generals chicken is flawless and I could eat it day after day. I'm so thankful this place has made it to the North Shore region and I hope you get a chance to enjoy it.
(5)
Jae S.
Some of the best Sichuanese cuisine I've had! This location was a newer one so they still had a few kinks in the service to iron out but the food was spot on! I had the Fish with Pickled Chili sauce. The flavor was everything I was hoping it would be! My girlfriend liked her Singapore noodles and I think I ate almost all the dumplings! The spice level was right where it needed to be. I like that they have a "non-spicy" menu so they can really amp it up on the spicier food. The green beans and black beans were so good they have made their way into the rotation in our dinners at home.
(5)
T E.
This used to be Hana Bistro, which we had frequented often; now under new ownership as Lao Sze Chuan, I'm glad the food is still quite good and area delivery acceptably prompt. We have only dined in once since new ownership and it was a complete disaster - suffice to say, take-out will be their bread and butter until and unless they get themselves more organized for dining-in custom. However, their standard fare, such as spring rolls, cantonese egg rolls, crab rangoon, combination fried rice, orange beef, kung pao chicken, mushu pork, spare ribs, etc. - all are consistently tasty and generally arrive good and warm. The maki rolls need a little work. The godzilla roll is still my go-to, but I've tried several others. A few times the maki arrived with ingredients other than described or missing garnish of fish roe or eel. One thing I truly appreciate about their take-out is that when you ask for "extra spicey" they deliver extra spicey; if you ask for extra wasabi pea - you get it! They are a bit on the pricey side, though; if they lowered their prices a buck or two per entree, we'd order once a week instead of once a month.
(4)
Romeo Q.
Ordered the dry chili chicken, which is one of this chain's signature items, Mongolian beef tenderloin, and beef fried rice. Items were tasty, perhaps a bit too salty, and reasonably priced. It just wasn't spectacular. Service is prompt and courteous, although we got a strange disappointed look when we declined a box for our few leftovers. Restaurant is nice and clean, unlike the one in Chinatown.
(3)
Kevin S.
Great food and fair prices. Home made noodles made on the spot if you order a noodle soup. Sushi is very good and fresh. Sushi rice pretty good. Great small individual saki bottles.
(5)
Gladys G.
The orange chicken is amazing and the grandmas shrimp fried rice has veggies and egg scrambled in there and uses jumbo shrimp. The flavors are spot on and delicious. Be warned: they don't joke around with "extra spicy".
(5)
Nancy H.
It's what you'd expect from a well-established Chinatown restaurant that expands to the burbs: good food in a nicer setting with better customer service. I'm not sure how it compares to the Chinatown one, but this one is good enough. We've tried numerous dishes, and they're all average to good. Dishes that stand out to me: - crispy shrimp with lemon sauce (very similar to Cantonese "walnut shrimp" sans walnut) - dry chili chicken (beware: don't eat the dry chilis) - sole fish fillet with chili bean sauce (pro tip: take home the leftover sauce and make a stir fry out of it with your choice of protein and/or veggies!) - twice cooked pork Szechuan style - spicy beef noodle soup (very good except the cut of beef they use is not as good as the kind my dad uses; recommend to share between 2 people along with 1-2 other dishes) Their menu is quite extensive, but they have a small chef's recommendations section that is a good place to start if you're overwhelmed. FYI - it's located in a strip mall, and their sign is displayed properly.
(4)
Pam D.
I'm glad we stopped here. The food was quite good. We got there right after they opened so we basically had the place to ourselves. I had garlic chicken and Christopher had orange chicken. The hot and sour soup was good, but not the best I have ever had. The spring rolls were average. They have a lot of unique things on their menu, so I will be eager to return and try more items. The service was fine, but then again we were the only customers.
(4)
Jiyoun B.
We're a regular for garlic pea pod leaves and dry chili chicken. Those chickens are addictive!
(5)
Jeff E.
Some of the best Chinese outside of Chinatown and certainly the north shore. Stick with the house specials or if dining in ask the waitstaff they know what is good. We ordered non spicy dishes and asked for spicy. They were great, nice accommodation. Chicken wing appetizer is fantastic the sauce is like molten lava resist temptation let them cool 15 minutes and enjoy!
(4)
Contessa R.
Updating for the food. Service is lacking. For example I asked to have the smoothie at the end, but she brought it out BEFORE the food. Like right after we gave our order, and I told her clearly and twice, to have the smoothie at the end, she went right away to make it. Like I heard the blender and was like: "is that ours?!! I hope not...." Anyway, food is A+. Highly recommend the food, you will be satisfied.
(4)
Evan L.
had a few more dishes some of which I would not recommend. A spicy tuna roll was soft the nori wasn't toasted and the satay was bad, it was deep fried and the sauce was like no peanut sauce I ever tasted. It tasted like it did not have peanuts in it. The food is spicy as requested and the won ton soup and basil chicken (yes even at a thai restaurant) are the best I ever had. If your waitstaff acts as if they don'y understand you-they don't. Have not tried the dry chili dishes yet but they do look hot.
(4)
Angela L.
Came here for lunch wanting to give this place a try. Although they mostly sell Chinese dishes on their menu, they also have a similar menu to Hana (previously owned Japanese cuisine) The decor and ambience is pretty much the same as I remembered for Hana. I ordered a lunch beef bento box with a shrimp tempura roll while my boyfriend ordered a unadon bento box. It came with miso soup and salad which tasted very fresh. The shrimp tempura was extra crunchy but was pretty small for the price. Overall, the food was pretty good but I'd have to come back for other menu items.
(4)
Nicole M.
Disappointing. First of all, it was freezing cold inside the restaurant. Had to keep our coats on while we ate. Secondly, it took FOREVER to get our food. The sushi roll we ordered came out around the time we should be getting dessert. We weren't even hungry anymore. The only good thing was that the food tasted decent.
(2)
Jon C.
It was ok, but I felt like I did not get my money worth because the portions are small for the expensive price. I got take out and ordered the dry chili chicken, cumin lamb, and some other dishes but the dry chili chicken, more than half the order is chili and what ever chicken you do get is diced up to the size of a dime and then battered and deep fried to make them look like bigger pieces. Not only that but the cumin lamb is the same standard, they use the paper thin slices(similar to the size you get at the deli counter at the grocery store), the cuts are tough chewy with a lot of big pieces of tendons. It is rather expensive for the quality and quantity of meat and ingredients.
(2)
Sherwin C.
Great food, good prices, excellent flavors, good portion sizes, great plating.Tony's Lao Sze Chuan restaurants are undoubtedly the best place to go in the Chicago area if you are looking for great Szechaun food. This location has a bit more of an upscale feeling to it and is much less crowded compared to the Chinatown location. Tea: Much nicer tea than you'll find at most restaurants. When I ordered this, I believe I was served dragonwell. Spicy cabbage: A bit less spicy than you'll find the Chinatown location but still a great way to start off the meal. Crab Rangoons: Despite being an authentic Chinese restaurant, they make some of the best crab rangooons you'll find here. Very crispy skin with just the right amount of filling, I don't think you'll find a more refined version of this anywhere else. Hot wok style beef: Tender beef and slightly spicy. The mix of the chilis for heat and green onions for flavor make this a very enjoyable dish. Beef Brisket Noodle Soup Szechuan Style: Tender brisket with noodles that are just soft enough to slurp. The beef broth was flavorful but not overpoweringly salty. Crispy Shrimp with Lemon Sauce: Nice large crispy shrimp with a light lemon sauce. Great alternative to the mayonaisse and honey shrimp many people associate with Chinese food. Chef Special Sole Fish Fillet Tofu: Really spicy but really good. The tofu is extremely tender and matched very well with tender sole. Excellently prepared with a ton of flavor -- highly recommended. Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken: If you think you love spicy fried chicken, you need to try this dish. Nobody does it as well as Lao Sze Chuan (except possibly Mapo in Naperville), excellent crispiness, just the right amount of saltiness, and an amazing aroma of chilis puts this in the category of life-altering experiences. The beef version of this dish also excellent as well. Crispy Eggplant with Ground Pork: Excellent combination of a crispy exterior but tender and flavorful eggplant on the inside. Lamb with Pure Cumin Powder: Best version of this dish outside TL's Four Seasons that you'll find. Jalapenos, onions, and chili mixed with cumin and tenderly cooked lamb make for a wonderful dish. Xiao Long Bao: Although a little light in the soup inside, the superior flavor of the both and excellent preparation of the pork make this one of the best you'll find in the area next to Hing Kee and the now closed Yilin. Sole FIsh Fillet Black Bean Sauce: Very nice tender and meaty fish with a simple black bean sauce. A little salty, but goes great with plenty of rice. Tofu with salty egg paste: Good tofu, but wasn't a huge fan of the salty egg paste preparation. If you plan to try tofu here, try one of the spicy preparations with dry chili. Honey Garlic Pepper Beef Tenderloin: Amazing. I've had several similarly named dishes that were a mess of sweetness and had either too much or too little garlic. This contains perfectly tender pieces of beef tenderloin with crispy edges and a strong hint of garlic. This is perfectly balanced by just the right amount of honey to heighten a completely balanced mix of sweetness and saltniess. The only other similar dish I can think of that makes me smile as much is Sun Shui's cripsy szechuan beef. Fresh Garlic Peapod Leaves: Excellent garlic flavor and very tasty broth with very fresh peapod leaves. Great dish to demonstrate that vegetables can be prepared in a simple but very tasty and healthy way at the same time. Mango sago dessert: Delicious flavors of mango with just the right amount of sago for starchiness, this is a great way to end a delicious meal. Overall, another great Lao Sze Chuan restaurant with consistently excellent food and good service.
(5)
Howard L.
We had a nice lunch stop here for Szechaun style dishes. We don't frequent the Lao restaurants very much, so we can't compare to the others, but the two signature dishes we had were just fine. We tried the dry chili chicken ($7.95) and crispy shrimp in lemon sauce ($9.45). Both tasted great and flavorful to us, with just white rice and no MSG per our request. The lunch menu entrees come with a soup and an appetizer (spring roll or crab rangoon). This place has a nice modern decor, and offers a limited beer and wine selection, as well as sushi offerings. It was good to try this place, and we may one day try these dishes (just for comparison) in one of the Chinatown locations.
(4)
Alan S.
In this review, I will write a review based on the following criteria: location/place of business, mgmt/staff service, cuisine, cleanliness/sanitation , hours open, pricing and ambiance. Location/place: The business replaced the Hana Asian Fusion restaurant. The business has a location not far from the edens expressway and a short distance from the Old Orchard Mall. Business is located in a shopping mall across the street from the IHOP pancake house. I give a rate of 4. Hours open: The business has similar hours open as the past business and you will find ease of convenience for lunch and dinner. I give a rate of 4 Pricing: Pricing for lunch and dinner range from the $10-$30 range. I didn't feel it was an expensive place to have lunch or dinner. From my perspective, the pricing is moderate. I give a rate of 4. Mgmt/staff service: As we had lunch in the restaurant area, the receptionist/ waitstaff provided alot of attention to our questions and information on the different foods from the menu. She always gave good attention to detail description of cuisine and delivered the food in order and timing. I give a rate of 5. Cuisine: We had an order of mongolian lamb and an asian chicken. Growing up with balkan cuisine, I can say the lamb had good taste along with the onions and pepper. The meat was fresh and tasty. Chicken had an excellent taste and cooked with tenderness. We had green tea and it complemented the meal along with a bowl of rice. I give a rate of 4. Sanitation/Cleanliness: The mgmt definitely did not differ from the past owners regarding sanitation/cleanliness. The tables are clean and the restroom area have been maintained by the staff in proper sanitary condition. I give a rate of 5. Ambiance: As for the ambiance, we enjoyed the lunch experience at this restaurant listening to the Christmas music in the background. Definitely, we will come back later to this place in the future. At the time, we were lucky enough to find the place with not too much people and enjoyed our lunch experience. I give a rate of 4. In conclusion, I give a total rate of 4 for this establishment.
(4)
Minhee K.
I recently came back here to eat lunch. We ordered Peking noodles (which is ja jang myung for you Koreans) on the regular dinner menu and honey pepper beef from the lunch menu. The hot and sour soup that comes with the lunch meal literally tasted like thick corn starchy water. Was horrible! It made me wonder if the chefs changed because I've had it here before.. wasn't thaaat bad. The Peking noodles (fried black bean sauce with noodles) was not big compared to the many places in Chicago area you can get a huuge bowl for less than 9$. What made me upset was the baby spoonfulls of sauce they out on top, no joke I should have taken a picture. When I asked for more sauce the server looked at me like I was crazy lol. I don't drench my noodles in sauce but what I was served, no one would expect. Half the bowl was full of cucumbers. . and the "meat" they put in there which is typically pork, looked like small cubes of coagulated blood and tasted old. Man was I so dissapointed. We requested that the honey pepper beef be extra spicy.. of course it just came out sweet. Everytime I come they can never accomodate "extra spicy," then why name the business Szechuan, so misleading.The plate was 80% raw onions, 20% honey pepper beef. I doubt I'd come back.
(2)
Maria R.
First time here. A mixed experience. We had a group of us so I tried a number of dishes. Here's my breakdown: What I liked: - the Chinese food was better than the sushi - I liked the Mongolian beef, combination fried rice and shrimp with lobster sauce - LOVED the mushu pork (like an Asian taco with plum sauce) - I also liked their tempura and pork cutlet (both from the Japanese menu) - atmosphere and decor was nice What I wasn't crazy for: - the maki - not the delicate taste of Japanese maki that I like. The rice was heavy and super sticky. The pieces of salmon and veggies were chunky. The seaweed wrapper was chewy and bland rather than flaky and seasoned. - the smoothies - average cost but much smaller portion. It was about half the size I get elsewhere at the same $3.75 price. Overall just a so-so experience. I would consider going back for the mushu pork.
(3)
Gary C.
Went here with a group of 8. I've eaten at the Chinatown location as well as the one in the west burbs. I was pretty disappointed with the food. A couple of them were okay, but others were just a hot mess. Particarly bad was the salty egg shrimp dish. Completely wrong and resembled something you'd find inside a diaper.
(2)
Lori L.
Just tried for the first time. OK, this is really authentic! Highlights: Wonderful green bean appetizer made with fermented black beans and little deep friend bits of tofu (taking the place of pork). Pea pod stems with fresh garlic. Huge quantity of Mapu Tofu. We will be going back for more. (We're vegetarians, and the menu is clearly marked so there is no guesswork.) A huge dinner for 3 (with ample leftovers that will serve as another full mean) for under $40. Two suggestions: Ask them to hold (or go light) on the MSG. I am sure they'll be happy to do so. We didn't, and got that tingly tongue feeling. Also, you can ask for wooden chop sticks (those plastic ones are hard to use). Very exciting news for Skokie, and this new restaurant was appreciated--just open one month (8/2014), and barely an empty table tonight!
(4)
Gary S.
All I can say is I ordered my food at 6:10pm called twice finally received my cold hard food at 9pm what a joke . They tried to tell me they were having trouble receiving my order , yet when I called to complain they didn't ask me to give them my order again. Then the guy disconnected me on the phone when I called back he said they forgot to make it. 2 different stories
(1)
Lauren G.
Meh. I really wanted to give this place a four star but they service is not the greatest if you're eating there so I would highly recommend to go. Their spicy chili chicken is the most popular with a shit ton and I mean a SHIT ton of chili peppers -literally and figuratively if you know what I'm sayin-ouch! But really good just way toooo spicy ! Overall their food is great it really is! Their crab Rangoon is crunchy and creamy full of cream cheese and small crab bits, their dumplings are soft and chewy just perfect the meat is top notch from their chili chicken to their sesame chicken to their noodles just over all great. The smoothies with tapioca are pretty good but the Tapioca balls tend to be on the harder than softer side-ha-anyways I digress-last time I was there I was getting the food as leftovers after dining in and a fly was on my plate i mean I def didn't take it to go then. I don't think their unsanitary I know that stuff happens and it just flew on to my plate but still threw the whole thing off for me so to go is definitely where it's at
(3)
Elaine M.
We went to Lao Sze Chuan Skokie for the first time tonight. We like the Chinatown location, and I believe they have the same menu. Everything we ordered was flavorful and tender. (See photos and descriptions). The fried dishes came out hot and crispy. If it was marked as spicy, it was SPICY. Our waitress was a bit overbearing, but in a nice Chinese Grandma sort of way. Three different people made sure our water glasses were always full. Restaurant was clean and comfortable. All the delivery guys were busy the whole time we were there. We are looking forward to sampling the rest of the menu in the coming months.
(5)
Matthew N.
This is the best Chinese place around Skokie. Unfortunately, that's not saying much. Definitely not my favorite place in the world, but it'll do if I don't wish to drive twenty minutes for the good Chinese food.
(3)
Steve D.
One of the largest Chinese chain under Tony gourmet group is now comes to Skokie after the Downtown Evanston opened not long ago. They are serving huge menu as other chain Lao Sze Chuan does, some high line of the menu is the "hand made" noodle soup. 6 or 7 different favors or meat wise to choose, spicy or not spicy. We tried the Szechuan string bean, 100% vegetarian, very nice favor. The tender tofu with sole fish fillet, I think this is one of the Mose authentic Chinese cuisines that I had in my life. Super super spicy!!! The vegetarian chicken shanghai style is my LOVE. Chicken letter cup and the spicy chicken wings on the hot appetizer menu are something u must try out!
(5)
Nate D.
I love the food here. I've eaten at other LSC locations in the area (Uptown + Evanston) and not been too impressed, but the 3rd time was the charm with Lao Sze Chuan by Old Orchard. GREAT FOOD! GREAT SERVICE! It all starts with the amazing waitstaff who take a "team approach" to service, and are very helpful. They are so friendly and accommodating to families with small children, that we keep coming back almost weekly now! I recommend the Honey Sesame Chicken -- it's crispy, sweet and savory. Also the Bao -- which were scrumptuous little meat dumplings. The Lo Mein/Chow Mein is delicious and not too greasy. I mean the menu is huge and I'm picking off the American-friendly courses, but judging by the very diverse crowd, it's got great authentic cuisine too!
(5)
Monica S.
The only good thing about this place is that at the time of writing, the rice is free, unlike the other Lao locations in Chicago and Evanston! Otherwise, on the day I came with two friends, the service was sloppy--our waiters would spill small amounts of sauce on the table and not clean up. The vegetarian noodles here are bland and too oily, though my friends claim the meat based dishes were delicious. To be fair, when I went, they had just opened, so I'll give them a second chance in the future.
(3)
Linda L.
We ordered Double fried pork intestine: the first time I ordered it, it was really good. Today when I ordered, there was a weird taste in it. It was from the oil. I think they overused the oil. I had the after taste of oil. It was really nasty. Lamb with cumin powder: lamb stir fry with bell pepper, onions and chillies. It's pretty good. A little oily, but it's Chinese food what can I expect. Mapo Tofu: I am not crazy about this dish. Hot and sour soup: it was okay. I'm not a fan.
(3)
khatty k.
We have been here 3 times and have always hoped for improvements but still leave disappointed in the ingredients used for their dishes. We like the Chinatown location better. If you enjoy eating lots of bamboo shoots/spring onions or carbo or fatty meat, you will definitely not be disappointed. Their dishes seem to lack the appropriate Chinese dish proportions. Even the sweet and sour chicken has more flour than needed. The chow mien has more spring onions than a table spoon of vegetables! Lastly, they needed more waitresses - adding just one more would help. Thumbs up for the nice bowl of rice and ambiance. Around the vicinity, I would recommend for Kim's (Glenview) for chinese take-out and AkaiHana (Wilmitte) for sushi. I wonder if not trying this place will help w the review.
(2)
Barbara K.
Authentic cuisine using fresh ingredients. Lots of fellow diners spoke Chinese so it might be true. The food is very spicy and I have to be careful that I don't order items marked with a red chile. So beware if you are sensitive to hot food. Wait staff is efficient and polite. Decor is comfortable and attractive. Pricing is fair. By far the best Chinese restaurant in Skokie, Wilmette, Evanston and vicinity.
(4)
Effie D.
Huge menu, tasty food, never crowded, clean and nice service.
(4)
Terry A.
Delivery service was super fast, but the food was so expensive and I got the famous dry chilli chicken and it wasnt even spicy nothing exciting about the mongolian beef it was large chunks and watery liquid the chow mein was so dry I'm sorry but this isn't the good Chinese food I'm used to Chicago north side 60625 has the best Chinese places
(3)
Andrea H.
I've been here several times and their food has been fine but nothing to write home about. And then tonight I learned that all the soups that are supposed to be vegetarian, are made with chicken stock. They will make them with water upon request (hmm- vegetables and noodles in water, I don't think so - I can do that at home!) but otherwise, if you think the soups that are clearly identified as vegetarian are vegetarian, they are NOT! I was told that they will reprint menus in the spring. I was also told, theoretically by the manager that he has trained all the waitstaff to let customers know about the misprint, but this was the first time I have ever been told in all of my visits. I asked how the tofu would be prepared in the tofu with vegetables and he said it would be lightly fried. It came steamed. The dish could not have been more bland. When the manager/waiter came back at the end to ask how everything was, I said, "Just okay" and he said, "great" and left us the bill. Later, I gave him some feedback on the very serious issue with the menu (for people who require vegetarian food for health or religious reasons), the misrepresentation of the food I ordered, and the fact that he asked a question but had not actually listened to the answer. He then offered me 15% off my next visit in exchange for my trouble. No thanks. There will not be a next visit.
(1)
Chris T.
I used to live in Chicago and Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown was a regular spot for me. While in town for business, I found that they opened a location in Skokie. Using Grubhub, I had some Tony's Chicken and Mapo Tofu delivered to my hotel. The food was just as good as the Chinatown location. I highly recommend Lao Sze Chuan.
This is a hidden gem...loved the chinese food here. Really spicy and awesome taste. Hot wok chicken is really good. Noodles are also awesome...overall its a great restaurant.
(4)
Sandy M.
I LOVE szechuan food, and LOVE spicy food, and Lao Sze Chuan did not disappoint! We ordered two starters (green beans with black beans, and pork dumplings) both were delicious! Our meals (Singapore noodles and Fish with pickled chili sauce) were amazing. Expertly prepared and delicious! The service was super friendly too!
(5)
Tanya J.
Let's just say, it's good, for the convenience. We go to Chinatown often and this location is about $3-4 more per dish than the ones in Chinatown, but then I don't have to drive down. My hubby got the Lamb Cumin (his favorite dish) which was not as good as the Chinatown location because the taste was not as strong. I got the spicy beef noodle soup which I thought was really good and there was a decent amount of noodles. Our kids shared a bento box which was just ok. We'll definitely go again but may not be a part of the routine.
(3)
Linda T.
Really disappointed by this place. We used to go there a lot when it was Hana but am really sad about the new management. Came in 20minutes after they opened and the floor was dirty. The uniforms the staff wore has different samples of the food all dried up. The lunch special order for 2people got mixed up twice. In addition sushi came out before miso and salad. Additional order of sushi (not my order) got delivered to the table. When I told the waitress it is not mine she placed the plate on the table and left. Then picked it up a minute later. Who wants an order that sat on strangers table? Food was ok.
(1)
Steve A.
The best Chinese food I've had in my 15 years of living in the area! Everything was very fresh and flavorful. The double-fried noodles had the perfect mix of soft vs. crispy noodles, the home-style tofu was prepared in a wonderful chili sauce, and the mixed vegetable noodle soup was chock full of fresh veggies and chewy noodles. Even the water glasses were continually refilled. If I had to critique something, I'd have to say that the amount of soup broth to "stuff" was lacking, making the second servings a bit dry...and the soup was served directly with the other entrees, instead of beforehand. Nothing earth-shattering. We'll definitely be back.
(4)
Shiyun Z.
The one in Evanston will be better than this one, don't suggest to go here for food.
(3)
Sana B.
My brother in law and sister love this place. I think the food takes too long to come and what's with the extra charge for hot sauce? How about some customer appreciation? However, I am giving 4 stars because of their spicy scallop roll. I only get the basic roll because it doesn't seem worth it to get anything else. They're not cheap with the meat at all. It's actually quite filling. The only reason I go back.
(4)
Sue R.
I do not know what is worse. The quality of the food or the service. When this place was Hana it was wonderful. I have been here a few times and nothing changes. I will never be back again and I intend to tell everybody I know how terrible this place is
(1)
Rachel K.
I am very disappointed with the service at this restaurant. My family and I have been to this branch at least a dozen times since December 2014. Yesterday my parents wanted to go for lunch. They told me there was a groupon available for lunch, for 2 or more. I read the fine print, and bought the groupon. We arrived, ordered 3 entrees from the lunch menu, and when we asked for the check, I told the server we had a groupon. She said that we couldn't use the groupon because we had ordered from the lunch menu. I reread the fine print, no such restriction. I pointed that out to her. Then she said her manager told her it was only good for 2 people. I showed her where it said in big print, lunch for 2 or more. I asked for the manager. She refused to get the manager, said they weren't available. Then she said she asked if we had a groupon when we sat down, and sorry, this was a blatant lie. She didn't ask about a groupon. I guess they didn't count on anyone actually using the groupon, just wanted some free publicity. Paid the check, and she offered to take 5% off if we paid in cash. Other times, they offered to take 10% off if we paid in cash. The whole experience was weird and bad. The food was ok. The spicy dishes were ok, the mild dishes were swimming in corn starch, such that there were clots of it and I couldn't tell the chicken pieces from the corn starch clots. The poor and unprofessional service was completely arbitrary and unresponsive. And why the discount for cash payment? Seems sort of fishy to me. Groupon took care of this for me, gave me a refund, but I don't understand not honoring your own advertisements. There are plenty of other options. I won't reward poor behavior or service.
(1)
Alex P.
Something that Gordon would say. "Stunning and Amazing" just not exactly in a good way. The food was very good. But the kitchen was horrifically slow this night. I was half expecting to hear Gordon screaming from the kitchen...sadly he was not there... We had szechuan string beans -YUM! and cumin lamb, also YUM! The wraps were ok. And the poor servers were scrambling to keep the patrons happy. Felt sorry for them really. So. Was it worth the wait? Let's just say that i am willing to go again. But i expect them to get their act together and speed up! Otherwise, there are other places to go.
(3)
John C.
Dishes are inconsistent. Some delicious and authentic and some mediocre and westernized. Could use a guide as to what's what!
(3)
H. O.
Food was bland and spicy. I'll explain. The food lacked and seasoning except hot chili peppers and pepper flakes. We ordered apps -- fried shrimp, egg rolls and crab rangoon. The shrimp was overly breaded. The egg rolls and crab rangoon were serviceable. We ordered veggie fried rice. It was good. The Szechuan chicken and beef with broccoli were wretched. No seasoning on either dish and the chicken dish was so hot that it burnt my palate -- and I like spicy. Not worth the funds. No wonder they were empty. Meh and bleh.
(2)
Batman S.
Over price everything is too salty I had to drink a lot of water.
(1)
Das T.
Have had Lao's in Chinatown and at the new one in Evanston. Both were great. But we got takeout from this particular location recently and it was quite a disappointment from the quality of the other 2 places. Won't be coming to this one anymore. Cashews were left out of a dish. Veggies were inappropriately soggy. Chicken was over-fried. Ugh!!
(2)
Daniel S.
Best Chinese food I've ever had. Only ordered delivery and carry out so I can't comment on dine in service.
(5)
Arian B.
First, lets get this out of the way. The food is great at all Lao Sze Chuan restaurants. But this review is not due to the food. This review is in regards to the terrible management process at this restaurant. So lets begin: At 11:30 AM on (10/24/14) Friday, a group of co-workers showed up to have, what we believed, is the best Chinese food in Skokie. To begin we sat at our table for 15 minutes without a waiter approaching us to take an order. I had to flag the manager (Man in a Blue Shirt) to tell him and he quickly grabbed someone to take our order. 15 minutes passes and we all begin to see our food. Except for 1 person. We ate our food and our co-worker still does not see his food. An additional 20 minutes follows with no food. Finally a person from the kitchen shows up confused about what my co-co-worker ordered and had to clarify (5) times before she walked away in confusion. The manager swings by and asks if our co-worker got his food or not. We state no, he has not. Another 20 minutes go by and we finally get the order. By this time, my co-worker wanted it to go because we were already late for work and did not get our food in time. They wrapped the food up and gave it back to us with (1) Single Check. I specifically requested prior to ordering, separate checks (We have done this before and had no issue). The full check arrives. after waiting for over an hour to get one of our co-workers food and to not get our request correct, put us over the edge. I run up to the manager and explain to him that we waited for over an hour on our co-workers meal and we originally requested separate checks. We would like to see some compensation on this meal. He states OK and will see what he can do. He returns, asking us to individually tell him what we ordered and i interrupt him and tell him, the minimum he can do is compensate our co-worker who has not eaten after waiting over an hour. He looks away from me and they bring us our separate checks. With NO COMPENSATION. It is unfortunate, because a simple re-reimbursement due to their negligence of their customer base made us all agree not to go back there again because of the poor service. We work for a large corporation within the neighborhood and we will be informing everyone not to go to this restaurant. If management was understaffed, they should have considered the fact that it is Friday at Lunch at a restaurant with a good name. I suggest "Tony" re-trains his management at this location, because if this has happened to us, i am fairly sure it will happen to other members as well. Not a good start to this restaurant chain.
(1)
Lillia P.
Ok, so as you can see by my previous reviews I tend to review quite a bit and I am so disappointed by this place. I can see the previous reviews are good, im guessing these are mostly based on the foot. I'm actually sitting at the restaurant writing this now. We had a party of 16 and after calling to confirm our reservation at 3pm earlier that day and being told it was fine, we show up and they say oh and have to scramble to put a table together. The one star review is based on the service alone, the food was actually very good however the service was probably the worst service I have ever had in my life. I go to sushi at least once a week and I cannot believe the service I had. I understand there is a language barrier however the fact of the matter is the service was unacceptable. We sat at our table for about twenty minutes without menus. One of our party got up and grabbed menus himself, then we sat there for another twenty minutes with still no one stop by. Finally I got up and asked if we can have service. Finally the waitress came and took our orders. The orders started coming one by one slowly, not even in the right order. Half of it was wrong and one of the couples didn't get their order until everyone was done eating. It was complete chaos and very unorganized. Also, apparently we were supposed to all get miso soup and after everyone had finished eating, a person in our party received a giant bowl of miso soup because the waiter felt bad? What are we supposed to do with a giant bowl of miso soup?? I really hope the management team reads this review and takes note. This is my first time here and based on the service alone, I will not be back based on the service alone.
(1)
B A.
Avg to below. Get better tasting food from my neighborhood delivery. Food oversalted and very bland flavors. Spicy stuff just spicy but lacks depth of flavoring. Only thing of ten dishes worth getting was lamb with cumin. Disappointed. Sad thing is we are huge fans of Chinatown location. Not even close to same restaurant or food experience. Feels like Tony Y sold out to do this suburban one under same name. Fools you into wasting money here.
(2)
Abraham S.
The service was friendly and quick. There were plenary of servers available to help if an extra napkin or plate was needed. The food was also very good but had a little to much sauce. Overall, very happy with my first visit here.
(5)
Young S.
I have been looking for a close and yummy place to eat I searched up on yelp Local Chinese Food and this popped up. I am so glad it did, because the food is amazing! I love the soup dumplings and Mongolian beef
(5)
Alford L.
Went there with a groupon last night and food was very good. Got the Dry Chili Chicken, Sze Chuan String Beans, Beef flat rice noodles, and the tofu with salty egg. Everything was amazing and delicious. The only thing I didn't like too much was the tofu, but that's more of a personal preference and not the quality of the food. I believe if you liked that kind of food, I am sure you would enjoy it. The service was impeccable. The manager came by a number of times to check on us but wasn't too imposing. Overall a very good experience. Also, it was quite busy for a Wednesday night. Always a good sign.
(4)
AJ M.
My buddy recommended this spot. This used to be the old hana which was a great spot for Asian. My review is for takeout, but I will say the place looks great. Almost too good for a place in a strip mall. Prices seem to go up a little since before, but the menu deff got bigger. Crab Ragoon was pretty solid. I also got the firecracker roll, that was good as well but is at a pretty steap price at $15. Grandma's fried rice and Singapore were both really tasty. My favorites were the cumin lamb and Mongolian beef wow! Overall pretty good takeout, will deff keep this place in mind for the future!
(4)
Sherry Y.
Still pretty consistent with the last time we went there. One of the members in our party kept speaking Chinese to the servers and assumed they understood the language. One of our servers didn't and it was originally our fault to begin with the assumption. Another server apologized and explained that the other server wasn't Chinese. How is that not excellent service?
On our most recent (3rd) visit to the relatively new Lao in Skokie, we were beyond impressed. The food was outstanding. We ordered Egg Rolls, Lychee Bubble tea, Chef's dry chili chicken, pork mooshu (off menu) pancakes, eggplant in garlic sauce, and Sze Chuan green beans. Each dish was cooked perfectly, especially the fried app/entree, which was crisp, hot and fresh tasting (not the smelly oil we often get in Chinese restaurants all over America). The food is not quite as intense (or spicy) as the original Archer Ave location (that made chef Tony an internationally renowned name in the culinary world), but very balanced and palatable to most of us mere mortals. While still maintaining their flavor profile and a kick, the dishes at this location don't give your tongue a lashing of red chilies. As amazing as the food was, the service was extraordinary. Gone are the days of Chinese run restaurants being associated with awful service and rude behavior. The manager at this Lao location - Robert - is a one man hospitality machine, who puts on a clinic everyday on how to make patrons feel valued and welcome. He greeted us warmly, remembering us from our last visit, playfully indulged our little 19 month old, ran about the restaurant making sure we had everything we needed for the little one instantly, and accomplished all of this while making eloquent and pleasant conversation with us (every chance he got) through the entirety of our visit. Kudos to Robert for running the restaurant as well as he does. We plan to visit this restaurant regularly, as it has truly earned our admiration and business!
(5)
Jonathan C.
The wife and I got take out, we were really excited to grab food from here as the Chinese near us is sub-par and now we didn't have to make a trip to China Town (or our usual go to spot 'China Chef' in Morton Grove). So we put our order in online with a pickup time of 20 minutes.... I get there about 25 minutes after ordering and they tell me it will be another 10-15 minutes. Basically this is annoying. I'm not saying that it needs to be ready in 20 minutes, but tell me 30-40 minutes and then I'll head over in due course. The food, well the chili chicken was good, but I wish it wasn't just fried chicken with chili around it...... the shrimp dish and the veg were good, but nothing too memorable. I'm sure I'll give this another try again, but not sure when.
(3)
Sophia H.
I liked Lao Sze Chuan, and it is situated in a nice area in Skokie. While their food is great, I found their service to be a little lackluster. Just a tip: some of their Chinese servers do not speak Chinese, which is actually fine, but out of the three people that were there, it seemed like there was one person that actually understood what we wanted. When we asked the other two people--in English and Chinese--about whether one of our dishes was being prepared (we waited a long time for one of the dishes so we weren't sure if they forgot to put it in), they kind of looked at us like we had no idea what we were talking about. Our server, who seemed like she understood everything fixed it but it seemed like the other two resorted to her to fix problems, which is slightly concerning. There is a fish dish that is super spicy and contains bamboo root, seafood, and other vegetables. This dish is SUPER spicy! I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. Everything else was superb and contained a great degree of tastiness, but I wouldn't consider it anything special to any other Szechuan places I have tried. That being said, I will probably come back here when I am in Chicago again.
(3)
Michelle M.
We were looking for a Chinese restaurant and found this on yelp. I am surprised it doesn't have higher ratings. Service was a little slow but still good. We had the catonese egg rolls they were hot and not greasy like most at other Chinese restaurants. We ordered the house fried rice it was good. The Lo mien style noodles can't remember what thy called them were excellent as were the salt and pepper prawns. We also ordered the lamb special it was good but it wouldn't be something I would ordered again. I saw a lot of amazing plates on near by tables and happy customers wish we would have found this place sooner...
This is a hidden gem...loved the chinese food here. Really spicy and awesome taste. Hot wok chicken is really good. Noodles are also awesome...overall its a great restaurant.
(4)
Sandy M.
I LOVE szechuan food, and LOVE spicy food, and Lao Sze Chuan did not disappoint! We ordered two starters (green beans with black beans, and pork dumplings) both were delicious! Our meals (Singapore noodles and Fish with pickled chili sauce) were amazing. Expertly prepared and delicious! The service was super friendly too!
(5)
Tanya J.
Let's just say, it's good, for the convenience. We go to Chinatown often and this location is about $3-4 more per dish than the ones in Chinatown, but then I don't have to drive down. My hubby got the Lamb Cumin (his favorite dish) which was not as good as the Chinatown location because the taste was not as strong. I got the spicy beef noodle soup which I thought was really good and there was a decent amount of noodles. Our kids shared a bento box which was just ok. We'll definitely go again but may not be a part of the routine.
(3)
Jimmy G.
I've dined in a couple of times at this location and I've dined in at the Chinatown location several times as well. We've recently moved to the Southeast side of Glenview and fortunately the Skokie Lao has a delivery radius that hits our house. My first few visits, I ordered many of the house favorites, Tony's Chicken, 3 Chilli, etc. They are great dishes but I've honed in on our favorite orders and they are "back to basics" dishes but I have to say they are the best made standard Chinese dishes I've been able to find in Chicago. We order the large Wonton soup, General's Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Crab Rangoon and Moo Shu Chicken. Nothing strange or fancy....but Lao uses the freshest ingredients, higher quality proteins and they make dumplings and side dishes in house by hand. I lived in San Francisco for several years, and I've been so disappointed by Chinese food in Chicago...until I found Lao. The wonton soup is the best I've ever had and the Mongolian Beef is a dish I would happily pay $25 for...it's the bargain dish of the country at $13. Generals chicken is something that should be so easy to make well, but every other place in Chicago uses crap chicken that seems as if it was frozen in the breading and I have to force it down. Lao's Generals chicken is flawless and I could eat it day after day. I'm so thankful this place has made it to the North Shore region and I hope you get a chance to enjoy it.
(5)
Jae S.
Some of the best Sichuanese cuisine I've had! This location was a newer one so they still had a few kinks in the service to iron out but the food was spot on! I had the Fish with Pickled Chili sauce. The flavor was everything I was hoping it would be! My girlfriend liked her Singapore noodles and I think I ate almost all the dumplings! The spice level was right where it needed to be. I like that they have a "non-spicy" menu so they can really amp it up on the spicier food. The green beans and black beans were so good they have made their way into the rotation in our dinners at home.
(5)
Arian B.
First, lets get this out of the way. The food is great at all Lao Sze Chuan restaurants. But this review is not due to the food. This review is in regards to the terrible management process at this restaurant. So lets begin: At 11:30 AM on (10/24/14) Friday, a group of co-workers showed up to have, what we believed, is the best Chinese food in Skokie. To begin we sat at our table for 15 minutes without a waiter approaching us to take an order. I had to flag the manager (Man in a Blue Shirt) to tell him and he quickly grabbed someone to take our order. 15 minutes passes and we all begin to see our food. Except for 1 person. We ate our food and our co-worker still does not see his food. An additional 20 minutes follows with no food. Finally a person from the kitchen shows up confused about what my co-co-worker ordered and had to clarify (5) times before she walked away in confusion. The manager swings by and asks if our co-worker got his food or not. We state no, he has not. Another 20 minutes go by and we finally get the order. By this time, my co-worker wanted it to go because we were already late for work and did not get our food in time. They wrapped the food up and gave it back to us with (1) Single Check. I specifically requested prior to ordering, separate checks (We have done this before and had no issue). The full check arrives. after waiting for over an hour to get one of our co-workers food and to not get our request correct, put us over the edge. I run up to the manager and explain to him that we waited for over an hour on our co-workers meal and we originally requested separate checks. We would like to see some compensation on this meal. He states OK and will see what he can do. He returns, asking us to individually tell him what we ordered and i interrupt him and tell him, the minimum he can do is compensate our co-worker who has not eaten after waiting over an hour. He looks away from me and they bring us our separate checks. With NO COMPENSATION. It is unfortunate, because a simple re-reimbursement due to their negligence of their customer base made us all agree not to go back there again because of the poor service. We work for a large corporation within the neighborhood and we will be informing everyone not to go to this restaurant. If management was understaffed, they should have considered the fact that it is Friday at Lunch at a restaurant with a good name. I suggest "Tony" re-trains his management at this location, because if this has happened to us, i am fairly sure it will happen to other members as well. Not a good start to this restaurant chain.
(1)
Lillia P.
Ok, so as you can see by my previous reviews I tend to review quite a bit and I am so disappointed by this place. I can see the previous reviews are good, im guessing these are mostly based on the foot. I'm actually sitting at the restaurant writing this now. We had a party of 16 and after calling to confirm our reservation at 3pm earlier that day and being told it was fine, we show up and they say oh and have to scramble to put a table together. The one star review is based on the service alone, the food was actually very good however the service was probably the worst service I have ever had in my life. I go to sushi at least once a week and I cannot believe the service I had. I understand there is a language barrier however the fact of the matter is the service was unacceptable. We sat at our table for about twenty minutes without menus. One of our party got up and grabbed menus himself, then we sat there for another twenty minutes with still no one stop by. Finally I got up and asked if we can have service. Finally the waitress came and took our orders. The orders started coming one by one slowly, not even in the right order. Half of it was wrong and one of the couples didn't get their order until everyone was done eating. It was complete chaos and very unorganized. Also, apparently we were supposed to all get miso soup and after everyone had finished eating, a person in our party received a giant bowl of miso soup because the waiter felt bad? What are we supposed to do with a giant bowl of miso soup?? I really hope the management team reads this review and takes note. This is my first time here and based on the service alone, I will not be back based on the service alone.
(1)
B A.
Avg to below. Get better tasting food from my neighborhood delivery. Food oversalted and very bland flavors. Spicy stuff just spicy but lacks depth of flavoring. Only thing of ten dishes worth getting was lamb with cumin. Disappointed. Sad thing is we are huge fans of Chinatown location. Not even close to same restaurant or food experience. Feels like Tony Y sold out to do this suburban one under same name. Fools you into wasting money here.
(2)
Abraham S.
The service was friendly and quick. There were plenary of servers available to help if an extra napkin or plate was needed. The food was also very good but had a little to much sauce. Overall, very happy with my first visit here.
(5)
Young S.
I have been looking for a close and yummy place to eat I searched up on yelp Local Chinese Food and this popped up. I am so glad it did, because the food is amazing! I love the soup dumplings and Mongolian beef
(5)
Romeo Q.
Ordered the dry chili chicken, which is one of this chain's signature items, Mongolian beef tenderloin, and beef fried rice. Items were tasty, perhaps a bit too salty, and reasonably priced. It just wasn't spectacular. Service is prompt and courteous, although we got a strange disappointed look when we declined a box for our few leftovers. Restaurant is nice and clean, unlike the one in Chinatown.
(3)
Kevin S.
Great food and fair prices. Home made noodles made on the spot if you order a noodle soup. Sushi is very good and fresh. Sushi rice pretty good. Great small individual saki bottles.
(5)
T E.
This used to be Hana Bistro, which we had frequented often; now under new ownership as Lao Sze Chuan, I'm glad the food is still quite good and area delivery acceptably prompt. We have only dined in once since new ownership and it was a complete disaster - suffice to say, take-out will be their bread and butter until and unless they get themselves more organized for dining-in custom. However, their standard fare, such as spring rolls, cantonese egg rolls, crab rangoon, combination fried rice, orange beef, kung pao chicken, mushu pork, spare ribs, etc. - all are consistently tasty and generally arrive good and warm. The maki rolls need a little work. The godzilla roll is still my go-to, but I've tried several others. A few times the maki arrived with ingredients other than described or missing garnish of fish roe or eel. One thing I truly appreciate about their take-out is that when you ask for "extra spicey" they deliver extra spicey; if you ask for extra wasabi pea - you get it! They are a bit on the pricey side, though; if they lowered their prices a buck or two per entree, we'd order once a week instead of once a month.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Minhee K.
I recently came back here to eat lunch. We ordered Peking noodles (which is ja jang myung for you Koreans) on the regular dinner menu and honey pepper beef from the lunch menu. The hot and sour soup that comes with the lunch meal literally tasted like thick corn starchy water. Was horrible! It made me wonder if the chefs changed because I've had it here before.. wasn't thaaat bad. The Peking noodles (fried black bean sauce with noodles) was not big compared to the many places in Chicago area you can get a huuge bowl for less than 9$. What made me upset was the baby spoonfulls of sauce they out on top, no joke I should have taken a picture. When I asked for more sauce the server looked at me like I was crazy lol. I don't drench my noodles in sauce but what I was served, no one would expect. Half the bowl was full of cucumbers. . and the "meat" they put in there which is typically pork, looked like small cubes of coagulated blood and tasted old. Man was I so dissapointed. We requested that the honey pepper beef be extra spicy.. of course it just came out sweet. Everytime I come they can never accomodate "extra spicy," then why name the business Szechuan, so misleading.The plate was 80% raw onions, 20% honey pepper beef. I doubt I'd come back.
(2)Maria R.
First time here. A mixed experience. We had a group of us so I tried a number of dishes. Here's my breakdown: What I liked: - the Chinese food was better than the sushi - I liked the Mongolian beef, combination fried rice and shrimp with lobster sauce - LOVED the mushu pork (like an Asian taco with plum sauce) - I also liked their tempura and pork cutlet (both from the Japanese menu) - atmosphere and decor was nice What I wasn't crazy for: - the maki - not the delicate taste of Japanese maki that I like. The rice was heavy and super sticky. The pieces of salmon and veggies were chunky. The seaweed wrapper was chewy and bland rather than flaky and seasoned. - the smoothies - average cost but much smaller portion. It was about half the size I get elsewhere at the same $3.75 price. Overall just a so-so experience. I would consider going back for the mushu pork.
(3)Gary C.
Went here with a group of 8. I've eaten at the Chinatown location as well as the one in the west burbs. I was pretty disappointed with the food. A couple of them were okay, but others were just a hot mess. Particarly bad was the salty egg shrimp dish. Completely wrong and resembled something you'd find inside a diaper.
(2)Linda L.
We ordered Double fried pork intestine: the first time I ordered it, it was really good. Today when I ordered, there was a weird taste in it. It was from the oil. I think they overused the oil. I had the after taste of oil. It was really nasty. Lamb with cumin powder: lamb stir fry with bell pepper, onions and chillies. It's pretty good. A little oily, but it's Chinese food what can I expect. Mapo Tofu: I am not crazy about this dish. Hot and sour soup: it was okay. I'm not a fan.
(3)AJ M.
My buddy recommended this spot. This used to be the old hana which was a great spot for Asian. My review is for takeout, but I will say the place looks great. Almost too good for a place in a strip mall. Prices seem to go up a little since before, but the menu deff got bigger. Crab Ragoon was pretty solid. I also got the firecracker roll, that was good as well but is at a pretty steap price at $15. Grandma's fried rice and Singapore were both really tasty. My favorites were the cumin lamb and Mongolian beef wow! Overall pretty good takeout, will deff keep this place in mind for the future!
(4)Michelle M.
We were looking for a Chinese restaurant and found this on yelp. I am surprised it doesn't have higher ratings. Service was a little slow but still good. We had the catonese egg rolls they were hot and not greasy like most at other Chinese restaurants. We ordered the house fried rice it was good. The Lo mien style noodles can't remember what thy called them were excellent as were the salt and pepper prawns. We also ordered the lamb special it was good but it wouldn't be something I would ordered again. I saw a lot of amazing plates on near by tables and happy customers wish we would have found this place sooner...
(4)Gladys G.
The orange chicken is amazing and the grandmas shrimp fried rice has veggies and egg scrambled in there and uses jumbo shrimp. The flavors are spot on and delicious. Be warned: they don't joke around with "extra spicy".
(5)Nancy H.
It's what you'd expect from a well-established Chinatown restaurant that expands to the burbs: good food in a nicer setting with better customer service. I'm not sure how it compares to the Chinatown one, but this one is good enough. We've tried numerous dishes, and they're all average to good. Dishes that stand out to me: - crispy shrimp with lemon sauce (very similar to Cantonese "walnut shrimp" sans walnut) - dry chili chicken (beware: don't eat the dry chilis) - sole fish fillet with chili bean sauce (pro tip: take home the leftover sauce and make a stir fry out of it with your choice of protein and/or veggies!) - twice cooked pork Szechuan style - spicy beef noodle soup (very good except the cut of beef they use is not as good as the kind my dad uses; recommend to share between 2 people along with 1-2 other dishes) Their menu is quite extensive, but they have a small chef's recommendations section that is a good place to start if you're overwhelmed. FYI - it's located in a strip mall, and their sign is displayed properly.
(4)Pam D.
I'm glad we stopped here. The food was quite good. We got there right after they opened so we basically had the place to ourselves. I had garlic chicken and Christopher had orange chicken. The hot and sour soup was good, but not the best I have ever had. The spring rolls were average. They have a lot of unique things on their menu, so I will be eager to return and try more items. The service was fine, but then again we were the only customers.
(4)Lauren G.
Meh. I really wanted to give this place a four star but they service is not the greatest if you're eating there so I would highly recommend to go. Their spicy chili chicken is the most popular with a shit ton and I mean a SHIT ton of chili peppers -literally and figuratively if you know what I'm sayin-ouch! But really good just way toooo spicy ! Overall their food is great it really is! Their crab Rangoon is crunchy and creamy full of cream cheese and small crab bits, their dumplings are soft and chewy just perfect the meat is top notch from their chili chicken to their sesame chicken to their noodles just over all great. The smoothies with tapioca are pretty good but the Tapioca balls tend to be on the harder than softer side-ha-anyways I digress-last time I was there I was getting the food as leftovers after dining in and a fly was on my plate i mean I def didn't take it to go then. I don't think their unsanitary I know that stuff happens and it just flew on to my plate but still threw the whole thing off for me so to go is definitely where it's at
(3)Terry A.
Delivery service was super fast, but the food was so expensive and I got the famous dry chilli chicken and it wasnt even spicy nothing exciting about the mongolian beef it was large chunks and watery liquid the chow mein was so dry I'm sorry but this isn't the good Chinese food I'm used to Chicago north side 60625 has the best Chinese places
(3)Jon S.
Worst service EVER! Waited 20 minutes to be spoken to and it was crowded but not that crowded. Seated for a long time before we got water. Then we ordered everything and waited about 10 minutes between every dish. We ordered 3 smoothies and they came out one at a time about 10 minutes between each one. And this was after soup and egg rolls. We spent nearly 2 hours there for a quick meal. The egg rolls were excellent. The soup was pretty good. Basil chicken and fried rice were good. Mongolian beef was tasty but lacking in beef and the onions were powerfully strong. I did not care for the sole which was a chef specialty. I may pick up from here again. But I will not dine in.
(2)Sherry Y.
Still pretty consistent with the last time we went there. One of the members in our party kept speaking Chinese to the servers and assumed they understood the language. One of our servers didn't and it was originally our fault to begin with the assumption. Another server apologized and explained that the other server wasn't Chinese. How is that not excellent service?
(4)Angela L.
Came here for lunch wanting to give this place a try. Although they mostly sell Chinese dishes on their menu, they also have a similar menu to Hana (previously owned Japanese cuisine) The decor and ambience is pretty much the same as I remembered for Hana. I ordered a lunch beef bento box with a shrimp tempura roll while my boyfriend ordered a unadon bento box. It came with miso soup and salad which tasted very fresh. The shrimp tempura was extra crunchy but was pretty small for the price. Overall, the food was pretty good but I'd have to come back for other menu items.
(4)Nicole M.
Disappointing. First of all, it was freezing cold inside the restaurant. Had to keep our coats on while we ate. Secondly, it took FOREVER to get our food. The sushi roll we ordered came out around the time we should be getting dessert. We weren't even hungry anymore. The only good thing was that the food tasted decent.
(2)Jordan C.
If you're working in or near Skokie and need a relatively in expensive lunch in a timely manner then this just might be your spot. Lao Sze Chuan is located closer to the Sally's Beauty Supply Shop in the shopping complex making parking very accommodating for the most part during "business lunch" hours. The hosts are pretty friendly and will get you seated in no time. The waiters / waitresses are also very tentative and will make sure that your water glass stays filled, even during the busier hours. Speed of services is also really good as well. During my last visit with a party of 5 - the waiter kept each part of our meal (lunch special arrangement) coming as soon as we finished a dish and that's definitely helpful when you have a busier schedule of your own to adhere to. The menu offers a wide selection however I've by default neglected most of it and stuck with the lunch specials after a recommendation from a coworker. The lunch specials run between 11am and 3pm and come with an entrée, soup, bowl of rice and an appetizer in addition to the salad mix you receive once you're seated at a table. I can easily recommend the Sweet n' Sour Chicken along with the crab Rangoon which is always a nice way to tease your pallet as you get into your meal. All in all this a great spot to bring a group of coworkers or during a tighter schedule. The quick and prompt service make it an easy win for you and your wallet!
(3)Alford L.
Went there with a groupon last night and food was very good. Got the Dry Chili Chicken, Sze Chuan String Beans, Beef flat rice noodles, and the tofu with salty egg. Everything was amazing and delicious. The only thing I didn't like too much was the tofu, but that's more of a personal preference and not the quality of the food. I believe if you liked that kind of food, I am sure you would enjoy it. The service was impeccable. The manager came by a number of times to check on us but wasn't too imposing. Overall a very good experience. Also, it was quite busy for a Wednesday night. Always a good sign.
(4)AJ K.
On our most recent (3rd) visit to the relatively new Lao in Skokie, we were beyond impressed. The food was outstanding. We ordered Egg Rolls, Lychee Bubble tea, Chef's dry chili chicken, pork mooshu (off menu) pancakes, eggplant in garlic sauce, and Sze Chuan green beans. Each dish was cooked perfectly, especially the fried app/entree, which was crisp, hot and fresh tasting (not the smelly oil we often get in Chinese restaurants all over America). The food is not quite as intense (or spicy) as the original Archer Ave location (that made chef Tony an internationally renowned name in the culinary world), but very balanced and palatable to most of us mere mortals. While still maintaining their flavor profile and a kick, the dishes at this location don't give your tongue a lashing of red chilies. As amazing as the food was, the service was extraordinary. Gone are the days of Chinese run restaurants being associated with awful service and rude behavior. The manager at this Lao location - Robert - is a one man hospitality machine, who puts on a clinic everyday on how to make patrons feel valued and welcome. He greeted us warmly, remembering us from our last visit, playfully indulged our little 19 month old, ran about the restaurant making sure we had everything we needed for the little one instantly, and accomplished all of this while making eloquent and pleasant conversation with us (every chance he got) through the entirety of our visit. Kudos to Robert for running the restaurant as well as he does. We plan to visit this restaurant regularly, as it has truly earned our admiration and business!
(5)Jonathan C.
The wife and I got take out, we were really excited to grab food from here as the Chinese near us is sub-par and now we didn't have to make a trip to China Town (or our usual go to spot 'China Chef' in Morton Grove). So we put our order in online with a pickup time of 20 minutes.... I get there about 25 minutes after ordering and they tell me it will be another 10-15 minutes. Basically this is annoying. I'm not saying that it needs to be ready in 20 minutes, but tell me 30-40 minutes and then I'll head over in due course. The food, well the chili chicken was good, but I wish it wasn't just fried chicken with chili around it...... the shrimp dish and the veg were good, but nothing too memorable. I'm sure I'll give this another try again, but not sure when.
(3)Sophia H.
I liked Lao Sze Chuan, and it is situated in a nice area in Skokie. While their food is great, I found their service to be a little lackluster. Just a tip: some of their Chinese servers do not speak Chinese, which is actually fine, but out of the three people that were there, it seemed like there was one person that actually understood what we wanted. When we asked the other two people--in English and Chinese--about whether one of our dishes was being prepared (we waited a long time for one of the dishes so we weren't sure if they forgot to put it in), they kind of looked at us like we had no idea what we were talking about. Our server, who seemed like she understood everything fixed it but it seemed like the other two resorted to her to fix problems, which is slightly concerning. There is a fish dish that is super spicy and contains bamboo root, seafood, and other vegetables. This dish is SUPER spicy! I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. Everything else was superb and contained a great degree of tastiness, but I wouldn't consider it anything special to any other Szechuan places I have tried. That being said, I will probably come back here when I am in Chicago again.
(3)Howard L.
We had a nice lunch stop here for Szechaun style dishes. We don't frequent the Lao restaurants very much, so we can't compare to the others, but the two signature dishes we had were just fine. We tried the dry chili chicken ($7.95) and crispy shrimp in lemon sauce ($9.45). Both tasted great and flavorful to us, with just white rice and no MSG per our request. The lunch menu entrees come with a soup and an appetizer (spring roll or crab rangoon). This place has a nice modern decor, and offers a limited beer and wine selection, as well as sushi offerings. It was good to try this place, and we may one day try these dishes (just for comparison) in one of the Chinatown locations.
(4)Evan L.
had a few more dishes some of which I would not recommend. A spicy tuna roll was soft the nori wasn't toasted and the satay was bad, it was deep fried and the sauce was like no peanut sauce I ever tasted. It tasted like it did not have peanuts in it. The food is spicy as requested and the won ton soup and basil chicken (yes even at a thai restaurant) are the best I ever had. If your waitstaff acts as if they don'y understand you-they don't. Have not tried the dry chili dishes yet but they do look hot.
(4)Sherwin C.
Great food, good prices, excellent flavors, good portion sizes, great plating.Tony's Lao Sze Chuan restaurants are undoubtedly the best place to go in the Chicago area if you are looking for great Szechaun food. This location has a bit more of an upscale feeling to it and is much less crowded compared to the Chinatown location. Tea: Much nicer tea than you'll find at most restaurants. When I ordered this, I believe I was served dragonwell. Spicy cabbage: A bit less spicy than you'll find the Chinatown location but still a great way to start off the meal. Crab Rangoons: Despite being an authentic Chinese restaurant, they make some of the best crab rangooons you'll find here. Very crispy skin with just the right amount of filling, I don't think you'll find a more refined version of this anywhere else. Hot wok style beef: Tender beef and slightly spicy. The mix of the chilis for heat and green onions for flavor make this a very enjoyable dish. Beef Brisket Noodle Soup Szechuan Style: Tender brisket with noodles that are just soft enough to slurp. The beef broth was flavorful but not overpoweringly salty. Crispy Shrimp with Lemon Sauce: Nice large crispy shrimp with a light lemon sauce. Great alternative to the mayonaisse and honey shrimp many people associate with Chinese food. Chef Special Sole Fish Fillet Tofu: Really spicy but really good. The tofu is extremely tender and matched very well with tender sole. Excellently prepared with a ton of flavor -- highly recommended. Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken: If you think you love spicy fried chicken, you need to try this dish. Nobody does it as well as Lao Sze Chuan (except possibly Mapo in Naperville), excellent crispiness, just the right amount of saltiness, and an amazing aroma of chilis puts this in the category of life-altering experiences. The beef version of this dish also excellent as well. Crispy Eggplant with Ground Pork: Excellent combination of a crispy exterior but tender and flavorful eggplant on the inside. Lamb with Pure Cumin Powder: Best version of this dish outside TL's Four Seasons that you'll find. Jalapenos, onions, and chili mixed with cumin and tenderly cooked lamb make for a wonderful dish. Xiao Long Bao: Although a little light in the soup inside, the superior flavor of the both and excellent preparation of the pork make this one of the best you'll find in the area next to Hing Kee and the now closed Yilin. Sole FIsh Fillet Black Bean Sauce: Very nice tender and meaty fish with a simple black bean sauce. A little salty, but goes great with plenty of rice. Tofu with salty egg paste: Good tofu, but wasn't a huge fan of the salty egg paste preparation. If you plan to try tofu here, try one of the spicy preparations with dry chili. Honey Garlic Pepper Beef Tenderloin: Amazing. I've had several similarly named dishes that were a mess of sweetness and had either too much or too little garlic. This contains perfectly tender pieces of beef tenderloin with crispy edges and a strong hint of garlic. This is perfectly balanced by just the right amount of honey to heighten a completely balanced mix of sweetness and saltniess. The only other similar dish I can think of that makes me smile as much is Sun Shui's cripsy szechuan beef. Fresh Garlic Peapod Leaves: Excellent garlic flavor and very tasty broth with very fresh peapod leaves. Great dish to demonstrate that vegetables can be prepared in a simple but very tasty and healthy way at the same time. Mango sago dessert: Delicious flavors of mango with just the right amount of sago for starchiness, this is a great way to end a delicious meal. Overall, another great Lao Sze Chuan restaurant with consistently excellent food and good service.
(5)Alan S.
In this review, I will write a review based on the following criteria: location/place of business, mgmt/staff service, cuisine, cleanliness/sanitation , hours open, pricing and ambiance. Location/place: The business replaced the Hana Asian Fusion restaurant. The business has a location not far from the edens expressway and a short distance from the Old Orchard Mall. Business is located in a shopping mall across the street from the IHOP pancake house. I give a rate of 4. Hours open: The business has similar hours open as the past business and you will find ease of convenience for lunch and dinner. I give a rate of 4 Pricing: Pricing for lunch and dinner range from the $10-$30 range. I didn't feel it was an expensive place to have lunch or dinner. From my perspective, the pricing is moderate. I give a rate of 4. Mgmt/staff service: As we had lunch in the restaurant area, the receptionist/ waitstaff provided alot of attention to our questions and information on the different foods from the menu. She always gave good attention to detail description of cuisine and delivered the food in order and timing. I give a rate of 5. Cuisine: We had an order of mongolian lamb and an asian chicken. Growing up with balkan cuisine, I can say the lamb had good taste along with the onions and pepper. The meat was fresh and tasty. Chicken had an excellent taste and cooked with tenderness. We had green tea and it complemented the meal along with a bowl of rice. I give a rate of 4. Sanitation/Cleanliness: The mgmt definitely did not differ from the past owners regarding sanitation/cleanliness. The tables are clean and the restroom area have been maintained by the staff in proper sanitary condition. I give a rate of 5. Ambiance: As for the ambiance, we enjoyed the lunch experience at this restaurant listening to the Christmas music in the background. Definitely, we will come back later to this place in the future. At the time, we were lucky enough to find the place with not too much people and enjoyed our lunch experience. I give a rate of 4. In conclusion, I give a total rate of 4 for this establishment.
(4)Jiyoun B.
We're a regular for garlic pea pod leaves and dry chili chicken. Those chickens are addictive!
(5)Jeff E.
Some of the best Chinese outside of Chinatown and certainly the north shore. Stick with the house specials or if dining in ask the waitstaff they know what is good. We ordered non spicy dishes and asked for spicy. They were great, nice accommodation. Chicken wing appetizer is fantastic the sauce is like molten lava resist temptation let them cool 15 minutes and enjoy!
(4)Contessa R.
Updating for the food. Service is lacking. For example I asked to have the smoothie at the end, but she brought it out BEFORE the food. Like right after we gave our order, and I told her clearly and twice, to have the smoothie at the end, she went right away to make it. Like I heard the blender and was like: "is that ours?!! I hope not...." Anyway, food is A+. Highly recommend the food, you will be satisfied.
(4)Jon C.
It was ok, but I felt like I did not get my money worth because the portions are small for the expensive price. I got take out and ordered the dry chili chicken, cumin lamb, and some other dishes but the dry chili chicken, more than half the order is chili and what ever chicken you do get is diced up to the size of a dime and then battered and deep fried to make them look like bigger pieces. Not only that but the cumin lamb is the same standard, they use the paper thin slices(similar to the size you get at the deli counter at the grocery store), the cuts are tough chewy with a lot of big pieces of tendons. It is rather expensive for the quality and quantity of meat and ingredients.
(2)Elaine M.
We went to Lao Sze Chuan Skokie for the first time tonight. We like the Chinatown location, and I believe they have the same menu. Everything we ordered was flavorful and tender. (See photos and descriptions). The fried dishes came out hot and crispy. If it was marked as spicy, it was SPICY. Our waitress was a bit overbearing, but in a nice Chinese Grandma sort of way. Three different people made sure our water glasses were always full. Restaurant was clean and comfortable. All the delivery guys were busy the whole time we were there. We are looking forward to sampling the rest of the menu in the coming months.
(5)Matthew N.
This is the best Chinese place around Skokie. Unfortunately, that's not saying much. Definitely not my favorite place in the world, but it'll do if I don't wish to drive twenty minutes for the good Chinese food.
(3)Steve D.
One of the largest Chinese chain under Tony gourmet group is now comes to Skokie after the Downtown Evanston opened not long ago. They are serving huge menu as other chain Lao Sze Chuan does, some high line of the menu is the "hand made" noodle soup. 6 or 7 different favors or meat wise to choose, spicy or not spicy. We tried the Szechuan string bean, 100% vegetarian, very nice favor. The tender tofu with sole fish fillet, I think this is one of the Mose authentic Chinese cuisines that I had in my life. Super super spicy!!! The vegetarian chicken shanghai style is my LOVE. Chicken letter cup and the spicy chicken wings on the hot appetizer menu are something u must try out!
(5)Lori L.
Just tried for the first time. OK, this is really authentic! Highlights: Wonderful green bean appetizer made with fermented black beans and little deep friend bits of tofu (taking the place of pork). Pea pod stems with fresh garlic. Huge quantity of Mapu Tofu. We will be going back for more. (We're vegetarians, and the menu is clearly marked so there is no guesswork.) A huge dinner for 3 (with ample leftovers that will serve as another full mean) for under $40. Two suggestions: Ask them to hold (or go light) on the MSG. I am sure they'll be happy to do so. We didn't, and got that tingly tongue feeling. Also, you can ask for wooden chop sticks (those plastic ones are hard to use). Very exciting news for Skokie, and this new restaurant was appreciated--just open one month (8/2014), and barely an empty table tonight!
(4)Gary S.
All I can say is I ordered my food at 6:10pm called twice finally received my cold hard food at 9pm what a joke . They tried to tell me they were having trouble receiving my order , yet when I called to complain they didn't ask me to give them my order again. Then the guy disconnected me on the phone when I called back he said they forgot to make it. 2 different stories
(1)Nate D.
I love the food here. I've eaten at other LSC locations in the area (Uptown + Evanston) and not been too impressed, but the 3rd time was the charm with Lao Sze Chuan by Old Orchard. GREAT FOOD! GREAT SERVICE! It all starts with the amazing waitstaff who take a "team approach" to service, and are very helpful. They are so friendly and accommodating to families with small children, that we keep coming back almost weekly now! I recommend the Honey Sesame Chicken -- it's crispy, sweet and savory. Also the Bao -- which were scrumptuous little meat dumplings. The Lo Mein/Chow Mein is delicious and not too greasy. I mean the menu is huge and I'm picking off the American-friendly courses, but judging by the very diverse crowd, it's got great authentic cuisine too!
(5)Monica S.
The only good thing about this place is that at the time of writing, the rice is free, unlike the other Lao locations in Chicago and Evanston! Otherwise, on the day I came with two friends, the service was sloppy--our waiters would spill small amounts of sauce on the table and not clean up. The vegetarian noodles here are bland and too oily, though my friends claim the meat based dishes were delicious. To be fair, when I went, they had just opened, so I'll give them a second chance in the future.
(3)Chris T.
I used to live in Chicago and Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown was a regular spot for me. While in town for business, I found that they opened a location in Skokie. Using Grubhub, I had some Tony's Chicken and Mapo Tofu delivered to my hotel. The food was just as good as the Chinatown location. I highly recommend Lao Sze Chuan.
(5)Sue R.
I do not know what is worse. The quality of the food or the service. When this place was Hana it was wonderful. I have been here a few times and nothing changes. I will never be back again and I intend to tell everybody I know how terrible this place is
(1)Rachel K.
I am very disappointed with the service at this restaurant. My family and I have been to this branch at least a dozen times since December 2014. Yesterday my parents wanted to go for lunch. They told me there was a groupon available for lunch, for 2 or more. I read the fine print, and bought the groupon. We arrived, ordered 3 entrees from the lunch menu, and when we asked for the check, I told the server we had a groupon. She said that we couldn't use the groupon because we had ordered from the lunch menu. I reread the fine print, no such restriction. I pointed that out to her. Then she said her manager told her it was only good for 2 people. I showed her where it said in big print, lunch for 2 or more. I asked for the manager. She refused to get the manager, said they weren't available. Then she said she asked if we had a groupon when we sat down, and sorry, this was a blatant lie. She didn't ask about a groupon. I guess they didn't count on anyone actually using the groupon, just wanted some free publicity. Paid the check, and she offered to take 5% off if we paid in cash. Other times, they offered to take 10% off if we paid in cash. The whole experience was weird and bad. The food was ok. The spicy dishes were ok, the mild dishes were swimming in corn starch, such that there were clots of it and I couldn't tell the chicken pieces from the corn starch clots. The poor and unprofessional service was completely arbitrary and unresponsive. And why the discount for cash payment? Seems sort of fishy to me. Groupon took care of this for me, gave me a refund, but I don't understand not honoring your own advertisements. There are plenty of other options. I won't reward poor behavior or service.
(1)khatty k.
We have been here 3 times and have always hoped for improvements but still leave disappointed in the ingredients used for their dishes. We like the Chinatown location better. If you enjoy eating lots of bamboo shoots/spring onions or carbo or fatty meat, you will definitely not be disappointed. Their dishes seem to lack the appropriate Chinese dish proportions. Even the sweet and sour chicken has more flour than needed. The chow mien has more spring onions than a table spoon of vegetables! Lastly, they needed more waitresses - adding just one more would help. Thumbs up for the nice bowl of rice and ambiance. Around the vicinity, I would recommend for Kim's (Glenview) for chinese take-out and AkaiHana (Wilmitte) for sushi. I wonder if not trying this place will help w the review.
(2)Das T.
Have had Lao's in Chinatown and at the new one in Evanston. Both were great. But we got takeout from this particular location recently and it was quite a disappointment from the quality of the other 2 places. Won't be coming to this one anymore. Cashews were left out of a dish. Veggies were inappropriately soggy. Chicken was over-fried. Ugh!!
(2)Daniel S.
Best Chinese food I've ever had. Only ordered delivery and carry out so I can't comment on dine in service.
(5)A C.
Décor - Nice, clean, modern environment. Definitely an improvement from the other Lao restaurants in Chinatown. Service - good. One star removed because we received our bill before we finished eating. Otherwise, service was good - we were constantly receiving attention from ALL the waitresses. Food - very tasty, and consistent, like all of Lao restaurants. Food is not bland. Very impressed. Definitely needed in the North Shore. One thing to note: if you cannot take/eat MSG - make sure to note that when ordering. Otherwise, the chefs will cook it in your meal. Portion size is medium, not large, even though Lao is charging dinner menu prices. I only wonder how the lunch specials are sized. Drinks - iced water is complementary. Tea is not. Tea costs .75 cents each. Typically in Chinese restaurants, tea is complimentary and the first to be offered to guests at no charge (and without asking). One additional star removed, since this should not be an additional charge per person. I would definitely return here, but not often, are there are quite a number of other Asian options in the area (not only Tony Hu's restaurants), that are far cheaper in price, and just as good in quality.
(3)Brij V.
This is a hidden gem...loved the chinese food here. Really spicy and awesome taste. Hot wok chicken is really good. Noodles are also awesome...overall its a great restaurant.
(4)Sandy M.
I LOVE szechuan food, and LOVE spicy food, and Lao Sze Chuan did not disappoint! We ordered two starters (green beans with black beans, and pork dumplings) both were delicious! Our meals (Singapore noodles and Fish with pickled chili sauce) were amazing. Expertly prepared and delicious! The service was super friendly too!
(5)Tanya J.
Let's just say, it's good, for the convenience. We go to Chinatown often and this location is about $3-4 more per dish than the ones in Chinatown, but then I don't have to drive down. My hubby got the Lamb Cumin (his favorite dish) which was not as good as the Chinatown location because the taste was not as strong. I got the spicy beef noodle soup which I thought was really good and there was a decent amount of noodles. Our kids shared a bento box which was just ok. We'll definitely go again but may not be a part of the routine.
(3)Barbara K.
Authentic cuisine using fresh ingredients. Lots of fellow diners spoke Chinese so it might be true. The food is very spicy and I have to be careful that I don't order items marked with a red chile. So beware if you are sensitive to hot food. Wait staff is efficient and polite. Decor is comfortable and attractive. Pricing is fair. By far the best Chinese restaurant in Skokie, Wilmette, Evanston and vicinity.
(4)Effie D.
Huge menu, tasty food, never crowded, clean and nice service.
(4)Linda T.
Really disappointed by this place. We used to go there a lot when it was Hana but am really sad about the new management. Came in 20minutes after they opened and the floor was dirty. The uniforms the staff wore has different samples of the food all dried up. The lunch special order for 2people got mixed up twice. In addition sushi came out before miso and salad. Additional order of sushi (not my order) got delivered to the table. When I told the waitress it is not mine she placed the plate on the table and left. Then picked it up a minute later. Who wants an order that sat on strangers table? Food was ok.
(1)Steve A.
The best Chinese food I've had in my 15 years of living in the area! Everything was very fresh and flavorful. The double-fried noodles had the perfect mix of soft vs. crispy noodles, the home-style tofu was prepared in a wonderful chili sauce, and the mixed vegetable noodle soup was chock full of fresh veggies and chewy noodles. Even the water glasses were continually refilled. If I had to critique something, I'd have to say that the amount of soup broth to "stuff" was lacking, making the second servings a bit dry...and the soup was served directly with the other entrees, instead of beforehand. Nothing earth-shattering. We'll definitely be back.
(4)Shiyun Z.
The one in Evanston will be better than this one, don't suggest to go here for food.
(3)Sana B.
My brother in law and sister love this place. I think the food takes too long to come and what's with the extra charge for hot sauce? How about some customer appreciation? However, I am giving 4 stars because of their spicy scallop roll. I only get the basic roll because it doesn't seem worth it to get anything else. They're not cheap with the meat at all. It's actually quite filling. The only reason I go back.
(4)Andrea H.
I've been here several times and their food has been fine but nothing to write home about. And then tonight I learned that all the soups that are supposed to be vegetarian, are made with chicken stock. They will make them with water upon request (hmm- vegetables and noodles in water, I don't think so - I can do that at home!) but otherwise, if you think the soups that are clearly identified as vegetarian are vegetarian, they are NOT! I was told that they will reprint menus in the spring. I was also told, theoretically by the manager that he has trained all the waitstaff to let customers know about the misprint, but this was the first time I have ever been told in all of my visits. I asked how the tofu would be prepared in the tofu with vegetables and he said it would be lightly fried. It came steamed. The dish could not have been more bland. When the manager/waiter came back at the end to ask how everything was, I said, "Just okay" and he said, "great" and left us the bill. Later, I gave him some feedback on the very serious issue with the menu (for people who require vegetarian food for health or religious reasons), the misrepresentation of the food I ordered, and the fact that he asked a question but had not actually listened to the answer. He then offered me 15% off my next visit in exchange for my trouble. No thanks. There will not be a next visit.
(1)Alex P.
Something that Gordon would say. "Stunning and Amazing" just not exactly in a good way. The food was very good. But the kitchen was horrifically slow this night. I was half expecting to hear Gordon screaming from the kitchen...sadly he was not there... We had szechuan string beans -YUM! and cumin lamb, also YUM! The wraps were ok. And the poor servers were scrambling to keep the patrons happy. Felt sorry for them really. So. Was it worth the wait? Let's just say that i am willing to go again. But i expect them to get their act together and speed up! Otherwise, there are other places to go.
(3)John C.
Dishes are inconsistent. Some delicious and authentic and some mediocre and westernized. Could use a guide as to what's what!
(3)H. O.
Food was bland and spicy. I'll explain. The food lacked and seasoning except hot chili peppers and pepper flakes. We ordered apps -- fried shrimp, egg rolls and crab rangoon. The shrimp was overly breaded. The egg rolls and crab rangoon were serviceable. We ordered veggie fried rice. It was good. The Szechuan chicken and beef with broccoli were wretched. No seasoning on either dish and the chicken dish was so hot that it burnt my palate -- and I like spicy. Not worth the funds. No wonder they were empty. Meh and bleh.
(2)Batman S.
Over price everything is too salty I had to drink a lot of water.
(1)Rob Y.
I went there today with my wife. The lady hated our Groupon, was reluctant to accept it and tried hard to not accept it. I told her I will pay the tax portion of the bill separately. She said " you have to pay this tax and tip and you want to add 18% or 25% in tip"? I told her it is up to me as the customer to decide to pay the tip or not and how much we want to tip. She than suggested we pay 12% tip. Basically she was just standing in front of us while we are sitting demanding tip and the amount of her choosing. When I pulled out my credit card, she said you pay tax and tip in cash. The other customers heard this too. I gave her $10 extra in cash as tip and left the restaurant in shock. This is outrageous!
(1)Pete C.
I had lunch here around 2pm on a Monday and it wasn't to busy. I was able to pick my seating which was nice. I enjoyed my meal which was a Combination fried rice & beef potstickers. The only down side to my experience was that the appetizer & meal were served at the same time but besides that definitely recommend this joint. Has some pretty tasty food.
(5)Will C.
Very happy they finally opened a Lao Sze Chuan in Skokie. Had dinner here a couple days ago, and as usual, very good. Service was very good. We had waters filled when the glass was still 90% full lol. Not sure if its because we know the owners or anything, but not complaining. We had the Dry Chili Chicken, cabbage, Dry Chili Lamb (custom dish), dry chili prawns, and all were delicious. We'll be customizing another dish next time. Maybe dry chili scallop?
(5)Shosh S.
Great food and service! I came here with a group of 12 people and was pleasantly surprised with the service. The waiters were very attentive and good at answering questions. We ordered one large bowl of the hot and sour soup and one of the house special hot and sour soup. It was delicious but warning, the house special hot and sour soup is very spicy! Perfect for people who love spice but a bit over the top of people sensitive to spice. I ordered the the salt and pepper tofu, and for such a simple dish it was so flavorful! We also got the vegetable chow mian which was also tasty and not too greasy. Overall the quality of the food was very good and I am excited to come back.
(5)Ryan M.
The food was really good and the place was very fast with having it ready for pick up.
(4)Jimmy G.
I've dined in a couple of times at this location and I've dined in at the Chinatown location several times as well. We've recently moved to the Southeast side of Glenview and fortunately the Skokie Lao has a delivery radius that hits our house. My first few visits, I ordered many of the house favorites, Tony's Chicken, 3 Chilli, etc. They are great dishes but I've honed in on our favorite orders and they are "back to basics" dishes but I have to say they are the best made standard Chinese dishes I've been able to find in Chicago. We order the large Wonton soup, General's Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Crab Rangoon and Moo Shu Chicken. Nothing strange or fancy....but Lao uses the freshest ingredients, higher quality proteins and they make dumplings and side dishes in house by hand. I lived in San Francisco for several years, and I've been so disappointed by Chinese food in Chicago...until I found Lao. The wonton soup is the best I've ever had and the Mongolian Beef is a dish I would happily pay $25 for...it's the bargain dish of the country at $13. Generals chicken is something that should be so easy to make well, but every other place in Chicago uses crap chicken that seems as if it was frozen in the breading and I have to force it down. Lao's Generals chicken is flawless and I could eat it day after day. I'm so thankful this place has made it to the North Shore region and I hope you get a chance to enjoy it.
(5)Jae S.
Some of the best Sichuanese cuisine I've had! This location was a newer one so they still had a few kinks in the service to iron out but the food was spot on! I had the Fish with Pickled Chili sauce. The flavor was everything I was hoping it would be! My girlfriend liked her Singapore noodles and I think I ate almost all the dumplings! The spice level was right where it needed to be. I like that they have a "non-spicy" menu so they can really amp it up on the spicier food. The green beans and black beans were so good they have made their way into the rotation in our dinners at home.
(5)Lillia P.
Ok, so as you can see by my previous reviews I tend to review quite a bit and I am so disappointed by this place. I can see the previous reviews are good, im guessing these are mostly based on the foot. I'm actually sitting at the restaurant writing this now. We had a party of 16 and after calling to confirm our reservation at 3pm earlier that day and being told it was fine, we show up and they say oh and have to scramble to put a table together. The one star review is based on the service alone, the food was actually very good however the service was probably the worst service I have ever had in my life. I go to sushi at least once a week and I cannot believe the service I had. I understand there is a language barrier however the fact of the matter is the service was unacceptable. We sat at our table for about twenty minutes without menus. One of our party got up and grabbed menus himself, then we sat there for another twenty minutes with still no one stop by. Finally I got up and asked if we can have service. Finally the waitress came and took our orders. The orders started coming one by one slowly, not even in the right order. Half of it was wrong and one of the couples didn't get their order until everyone was done eating. It was complete chaos and very unorganized. Also, apparently we were supposed to all get miso soup and after everyone had finished eating, a person in our party received a giant bowl of miso soup because the waiter felt bad? What are we supposed to do with a giant bowl of miso soup?? I really hope the management team reads this review and takes note. This is my first time here and based on the service alone, I will not be back based on the service alone.
(1)B A.
Avg to below. Get better tasting food from my neighborhood delivery. Food oversalted and very bland flavors. Spicy stuff just spicy but lacks depth of flavoring. Only thing of ten dishes worth getting was lamb with cumin. Disappointed. Sad thing is we are huge fans of Chinatown location. Not even close to same restaurant or food experience. Feels like Tony Y sold out to do this suburban one under same name. Fools you into wasting money here.
(2)Abraham S.
The service was friendly and quick. There were plenary of servers available to help if an extra napkin or plate was needed. The food was also very good but had a little to much sauce. Overall, very happy with my first visit here.
(5)Young S.
I have been looking for a close and yummy place to eat I searched up on yelp Local Chinese Food and this popped up. I am so glad it did, because the food is amazing! I love the soup dumplings and Mongolian beef
(5)Arian B.
First, lets get this out of the way. The food is great at all Lao Sze Chuan restaurants. But this review is not due to the food. This review is in regards to the terrible management process at this restaurant. So lets begin: At 11:30 AM on (10/24/14) Friday, a group of co-workers showed up to have, what we believed, is the best Chinese food in Skokie. To begin we sat at our table for 15 minutes without a waiter approaching us to take an order. I had to flag the manager (Man in a Blue Shirt) to tell him and he quickly grabbed someone to take our order. 15 minutes passes and we all begin to see our food. Except for 1 person. We ate our food and our co-worker still does not see his food. An additional 20 minutes follows with no food. Finally a person from the kitchen shows up confused about what my co-co-worker ordered and had to clarify (5) times before she walked away in confusion. The manager swings by and asks if our co-worker got his food or not. We state no, he has not. Another 20 minutes go by and we finally get the order. By this time, my co-worker wanted it to go because we were already late for work and did not get our food in time. They wrapped the food up and gave it back to us with (1) Single Check. I specifically requested prior to ordering, separate checks (We have done this before and had no issue). The full check arrives. after waiting for over an hour to get one of our co-workers food and to not get our request correct, put us over the edge. I run up to the manager and explain to him that we waited for over an hour on our co-workers meal and we originally requested separate checks. We would like to see some compensation on this meal. He states OK and will see what he can do. He returns, asking us to individually tell him what we ordered and i interrupt him and tell him, the minimum he can do is compensate our co-worker who has not eaten after waiting over an hour. He looks away from me and they bring us our separate checks. With NO COMPENSATION. It is unfortunate, because a simple re-reimbursement due to their negligence of their customer base made us all agree not to go back there again because of the poor service. We work for a large corporation within the neighborhood and we will be informing everyone not to go to this restaurant. If management was understaffed, they should have considered the fact that it is Friday at Lunch at a restaurant with a good name. I suggest "Tony" re-trains his management at this location, because if this has happened to us, i am fairly sure it will happen to other members as well. Not a good start to this restaurant chain.
(1)Romeo Q.
Ordered the dry chili chicken, which is one of this chain's signature items, Mongolian beef tenderloin, and beef fried rice. Items were tasty, perhaps a bit too salty, and reasonably priced. It just wasn't spectacular. Service is prompt and courteous, although we got a strange disappointed look when we declined a box for our few leftovers. Restaurant is nice and clean, unlike the one in Chinatown.
(3)Kevin S.
Great food and fair prices. Home made noodles made on the spot if you order a noodle soup. Sushi is very good and fresh. Sushi rice pretty good. Great small individual saki bottles.
(5)T E.
This used to be Hana Bistro, which we had frequented often; now under new ownership as Lao Sze Chuan, I'm glad the food is still quite good and area delivery acceptably prompt. We have only dined in once since new ownership and it was a complete disaster - suffice to say, take-out will be their bread and butter until and unless they get themselves more organized for dining-in custom. However, their standard fare, such as spring rolls, cantonese egg rolls, crab rangoon, combination fried rice, orange beef, kung pao chicken, mushu pork, spare ribs, etc. - all are consistently tasty and generally arrive good and warm. The maki rolls need a little work. The godzilla roll is still my go-to, but I've tried several others. A few times the maki arrived with ingredients other than described or missing garnish of fish roe or eel. One thing I truly appreciate about their take-out is that when you ask for "extra spicey" they deliver extra spicey; if you ask for extra wasabi pea - you get it! They are a bit on the pricey side, though; if they lowered their prices a buck or two per entree, we'd order once a week instead of once a month.
(4)Jon S.
Worst service EVER! Waited 20 minutes to be spoken to and it was crowded but not that crowded. Seated for a long time before we got water. Then we ordered everything and waited about 10 minutes between every dish. We ordered 3 smoothies and they came out one at a time about 10 minutes between each one. And this was after soup and egg rolls. We spent nearly 2 hours there for a quick meal. The egg rolls were excellent. The soup was pretty good. Basil chicken and fried rice were good. Mongolian beef was tasty but lacking in beef and the onions were powerfully strong. I did not care for the sole which was a chef specialty. I may pick up from here again. But I will not dine in.
(2)Rob Y.
I went there today with my wife. The lady hated our Groupon, was reluctant to accept it and tried hard to not accept it. I told her I will pay the tax portion of the bill separately. She said " you have to pay this tax and tip and you want to add 18% or 25% in tip"? I told her it is up to me as the customer to decide to pay the tip or not and how much we want to tip. She than suggested we pay 12% tip. Basically she was just standing in front of us while we are sitting demanding tip and the amount of her choosing. When I pulled out my credit card, she said you pay tax and tip in cash. The other customers heard this too. I gave her $10 extra in cash as tip and left the restaurant in shock. This is outrageous!
(1)Pete C.
I had lunch here around 2pm on a Monday and it wasn't to busy. I was able to pick my seating which was nice. I enjoyed my meal which was a Combination fried rice & beef potstickers. The only down side to my experience was that the appetizer & meal were served at the same time but besides that definitely recommend this joint. Has some pretty tasty food.
(5)Will C.
Very happy they finally opened a Lao Sze Chuan in Skokie. Had dinner here a couple days ago, and as usual, very good. Service was very good. We had waters filled when the glass was still 90% full lol. Not sure if its because we know the owners or anything, but not complaining. We had the Dry Chili Chicken, cabbage, Dry Chili Lamb (custom dish), dry chili prawns, and all were delicious. We'll be customizing another dish next time. Maybe dry chili scallop?
(5)Shosh S.
Great food and service! I came here with a group of 12 people and was pleasantly surprised with the service. The waiters were very attentive and good at answering questions. We ordered one large bowl of the hot and sour soup and one of the house special hot and sour soup. It was delicious but warning, the house special hot and sour soup is very spicy! Perfect for people who love spice but a bit over the top of people sensitive to spice. I ordered the the salt and pepper tofu, and for such a simple dish it was so flavorful! We also got the vegetable chow mian which was also tasty and not too greasy. Overall the quality of the food was very good and I am excited to come back.
(5)Ryan M.
The food was really good and the place was very fast with having it ready for pick up.
(4)Jimmy G.
I've dined in a couple of times at this location and I've dined in at the Chinatown location several times as well. We've recently moved to the Southeast side of Glenview and fortunately the Skokie Lao has a delivery radius that hits our house. My first few visits, I ordered many of the house favorites, Tony's Chicken, 3 Chilli, etc. They are great dishes but I've honed in on our favorite orders and they are "back to basics" dishes but I have to say they are the best made standard Chinese dishes I've been able to find in Chicago. We order the large Wonton soup, General's Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Crab Rangoon and Moo Shu Chicken. Nothing strange or fancy....but Lao uses the freshest ingredients, higher quality proteins and they make dumplings and side dishes in house by hand. I lived in San Francisco for several years, and I've been so disappointed by Chinese food in Chicago...until I found Lao. The wonton soup is the best I've ever had and the Mongolian Beef is a dish I would happily pay $25 for...it's the bargain dish of the country at $13. Generals chicken is something that should be so easy to make well, but every other place in Chicago uses crap chicken that seems as if it was frozen in the breading and I have to force it down. Lao's Generals chicken is flawless and I could eat it day after day. I'm so thankful this place has made it to the North Shore region and I hope you get a chance to enjoy it.
(5)Jae S.
Some of the best Sichuanese cuisine I've had! This location was a newer one so they still had a few kinks in the service to iron out but the food was spot on! I had the Fish with Pickled Chili sauce. The flavor was everything I was hoping it would be! My girlfriend liked her Singapore noodles and I think I ate almost all the dumplings! The spice level was right where it needed to be. I like that they have a "non-spicy" menu so they can really amp it up on the spicier food. The green beans and black beans were so good they have made their way into the rotation in our dinners at home.
(5)T E.
This used to be Hana Bistro, which we had frequented often; now under new ownership as Lao Sze Chuan, I'm glad the food is still quite good and area delivery acceptably prompt. We have only dined in once since new ownership and it was a complete disaster - suffice to say, take-out will be their bread and butter until and unless they get themselves more organized for dining-in custom. However, their standard fare, such as spring rolls, cantonese egg rolls, crab rangoon, combination fried rice, orange beef, kung pao chicken, mushu pork, spare ribs, etc. - all are consistently tasty and generally arrive good and warm. The maki rolls need a little work. The godzilla roll is still my go-to, but I've tried several others. A few times the maki arrived with ingredients other than described or missing garnish of fish roe or eel. One thing I truly appreciate about their take-out is that when you ask for "extra spicey" they deliver extra spicey; if you ask for extra wasabi pea - you get it! They are a bit on the pricey side, though; if they lowered their prices a buck or two per entree, we'd order once a week instead of once a month.
(4)Romeo Q.
Ordered the dry chili chicken, which is one of this chain's signature items, Mongolian beef tenderloin, and beef fried rice. Items were tasty, perhaps a bit too salty, and reasonably priced. It just wasn't spectacular. Service is prompt and courteous, although we got a strange disappointed look when we declined a box for our few leftovers. Restaurant is nice and clean, unlike the one in Chinatown.
(3)Kevin S.
Great food and fair prices. Home made noodles made on the spot if you order a noodle soup. Sushi is very good and fresh. Sushi rice pretty good. Great small individual saki bottles.
(5)Gladys G.
The orange chicken is amazing and the grandmas shrimp fried rice has veggies and egg scrambled in there and uses jumbo shrimp. The flavors are spot on and delicious. Be warned: they don't joke around with "extra spicy".
(5)Nancy H.
It's what you'd expect from a well-established Chinatown restaurant that expands to the burbs: good food in a nicer setting with better customer service. I'm not sure how it compares to the Chinatown one, but this one is good enough. We've tried numerous dishes, and they're all average to good. Dishes that stand out to me: - crispy shrimp with lemon sauce (very similar to Cantonese "walnut shrimp" sans walnut) - dry chili chicken (beware: don't eat the dry chilis) - sole fish fillet with chili bean sauce (pro tip: take home the leftover sauce and make a stir fry out of it with your choice of protein and/or veggies!) - twice cooked pork Szechuan style - spicy beef noodle soup (very good except the cut of beef they use is not as good as the kind my dad uses; recommend to share between 2 people along with 1-2 other dishes) Their menu is quite extensive, but they have a small chef's recommendations section that is a good place to start if you're overwhelmed. FYI - it's located in a strip mall, and their sign is displayed properly.
(4)Pam D.
I'm glad we stopped here. The food was quite good. We got there right after they opened so we basically had the place to ourselves. I had garlic chicken and Christopher had orange chicken. The hot and sour soup was good, but not the best I have ever had. The spring rolls were average. They have a lot of unique things on their menu, so I will be eager to return and try more items. The service was fine, but then again we were the only customers.
(4)Jiyoun B.
We're a regular for garlic pea pod leaves and dry chili chicken. Those chickens are addictive!
(5)Jeff E.
Some of the best Chinese outside of Chinatown and certainly the north shore. Stick with the house specials or if dining in ask the waitstaff they know what is good. We ordered non spicy dishes and asked for spicy. They were great, nice accommodation. Chicken wing appetizer is fantastic the sauce is like molten lava resist temptation let them cool 15 minutes and enjoy!
(4)Contessa R.
Updating for the food. Service is lacking. For example I asked to have the smoothie at the end, but she brought it out BEFORE the food. Like right after we gave our order, and I told her clearly and twice, to have the smoothie at the end, she went right away to make it. Like I heard the blender and was like: "is that ours?!! I hope not...." Anyway, food is A+. Highly recommend the food, you will be satisfied.
(4)Evan L.
had a few more dishes some of which I would not recommend. A spicy tuna roll was soft the nori wasn't toasted and the satay was bad, it was deep fried and the sauce was like no peanut sauce I ever tasted. It tasted like it did not have peanuts in it. The food is spicy as requested and the won ton soup and basil chicken (yes even at a thai restaurant) are the best I ever had. If your waitstaff acts as if they don'y understand you-they don't. Have not tried the dry chili dishes yet but they do look hot.
(4)Angela L.
Came here for lunch wanting to give this place a try. Although they mostly sell Chinese dishes on their menu, they also have a similar menu to Hana (previously owned Japanese cuisine) The decor and ambience is pretty much the same as I remembered for Hana. I ordered a lunch beef bento box with a shrimp tempura roll while my boyfriend ordered a unadon bento box. It came with miso soup and salad which tasted very fresh. The shrimp tempura was extra crunchy but was pretty small for the price. Overall, the food was pretty good but I'd have to come back for other menu items.
(4)Nicole M.
Disappointing. First of all, it was freezing cold inside the restaurant. Had to keep our coats on while we ate. Secondly, it took FOREVER to get our food. The sushi roll we ordered came out around the time we should be getting dessert. We weren't even hungry anymore. The only good thing was that the food tasted decent.
(2)Jon C.
It was ok, but I felt like I did not get my money worth because the portions are small for the expensive price. I got take out and ordered the dry chili chicken, cumin lamb, and some other dishes but the dry chili chicken, more than half the order is chili and what ever chicken you do get is diced up to the size of a dime and then battered and deep fried to make them look like bigger pieces. Not only that but the cumin lamb is the same standard, they use the paper thin slices(similar to the size you get at the deli counter at the grocery store), the cuts are tough chewy with a lot of big pieces of tendons. It is rather expensive for the quality and quantity of meat and ingredients.
(2)Sherwin C.
Great food, good prices, excellent flavors, good portion sizes, great plating.Tony's Lao Sze Chuan restaurants are undoubtedly the best place to go in the Chicago area if you are looking for great Szechaun food. This location has a bit more of an upscale feeling to it and is much less crowded compared to the Chinatown location. Tea: Much nicer tea than you'll find at most restaurants. When I ordered this, I believe I was served dragonwell. Spicy cabbage: A bit less spicy than you'll find the Chinatown location but still a great way to start off the meal. Crab Rangoons: Despite being an authentic Chinese restaurant, they make some of the best crab rangooons you'll find here. Very crispy skin with just the right amount of filling, I don't think you'll find a more refined version of this anywhere else. Hot wok style beef: Tender beef and slightly spicy. The mix of the chilis for heat and green onions for flavor make this a very enjoyable dish. Beef Brisket Noodle Soup Szechuan Style: Tender brisket with noodles that are just soft enough to slurp. The beef broth was flavorful but not overpoweringly salty. Crispy Shrimp with Lemon Sauce: Nice large crispy shrimp with a light lemon sauce. Great alternative to the mayonaisse and honey shrimp many people associate with Chinese food. Chef Special Sole Fish Fillet Tofu: Really spicy but really good. The tofu is extremely tender and matched very well with tender sole. Excellently prepared with a ton of flavor -- highly recommended. Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken: If you think you love spicy fried chicken, you need to try this dish. Nobody does it as well as Lao Sze Chuan (except possibly Mapo in Naperville), excellent crispiness, just the right amount of saltiness, and an amazing aroma of chilis puts this in the category of life-altering experiences. The beef version of this dish also excellent as well. Crispy Eggplant with Ground Pork: Excellent combination of a crispy exterior but tender and flavorful eggplant on the inside. Lamb with Pure Cumin Powder: Best version of this dish outside TL's Four Seasons that you'll find. Jalapenos, onions, and chili mixed with cumin and tenderly cooked lamb make for a wonderful dish. Xiao Long Bao: Although a little light in the soup inside, the superior flavor of the both and excellent preparation of the pork make this one of the best you'll find in the area next to Hing Kee and the now closed Yilin. Sole FIsh Fillet Black Bean Sauce: Very nice tender and meaty fish with a simple black bean sauce. A little salty, but goes great with plenty of rice. Tofu with salty egg paste: Good tofu, but wasn't a huge fan of the salty egg paste preparation. If you plan to try tofu here, try one of the spicy preparations with dry chili. Honey Garlic Pepper Beef Tenderloin: Amazing. I've had several similarly named dishes that were a mess of sweetness and had either too much or too little garlic. This contains perfectly tender pieces of beef tenderloin with crispy edges and a strong hint of garlic. This is perfectly balanced by just the right amount of honey to heighten a completely balanced mix of sweetness and saltniess. The only other similar dish I can think of that makes me smile as much is Sun Shui's cripsy szechuan beef. Fresh Garlic Peapod Leaves: Excellent garlic flavor and very tasty broth with very fresh peapod leaves. Great dish to demonstrate that vegetables can be prepared in a simple but very tasty and healthy way at the same time. Mango sago dessert: Delicious flavors of mango with just the right amount of sago for starchiness, this is a great way to end a delicious meal. Overall, another great Lao Sze Chuan restaurant with consistently excellent food and good service.
(5)Howard L.
We had a nice lunch stop here for Szechaun style dishes. We don't frequent the Lao restaurants very much, so we can't compare to the others, but the two signature dishes we had were just fine. We tried the dry chili chicken ($7.95) and crispy shrimp in lemon sauce ($9.45). Both tasted great and flavorful to us, with just white rice and no MSG per our request. The lunch menu entrees come with a soup and an appetizer (spring roll or crab rangoon). This place has a nice modern decor, and offers a limited beer and wine selection, as well as sushi offerings. It was good to try this place, and we may one day try these dishes (just for comparison) in one of the Chinatown locations.
(4)Alan S.
In this review, I will write a review based on the following criteria: location/place of business, mgmt/staff service, cuisine, cleanliness/sanitation , hours open, pricing and ambiance. Location/place: The business replaced the Hana Asian Fusion restaurant. The business has a location not far from the edens expressway and a short distance from the Old Orchard Mall. Business is located in a shopping mall across the street from the IHOP pancake house. I give a rate of 4. Hours open: The business has similar hours open as the past business and you will find ease of convenience for lunch and dinner. I give a rate of 4 Pricing: Pricing for lunch and dinner range from the $10-$30 range. I didn't feel it was an expensive place to have lunch or dinner. From my perspective, the pricing is moderate. I give a rate of 4. Mgmt/staff service: As we had lunch in the restaurant area, the receptionist/ waitstaff provided alot of attention to our questions and information on the different foods from the menu. She always gave good attention to detail description of cuisine and delivered the food in order and timing. I give a rate of 5. Cuisine: We had an order of mongolian lamb and an asian chicken. Growing up with balkan cuisine, I can say the lamb had good taste along with the onions and pepper. The meat was fresh and tasty. Chicken had an excellent taste and cooked with tenderness. We had green tea and it complemented the meal along with a bowl of rice. I give a rate of 4. Sanitation/Cleanliness: The mgmt definitely did not differ from the past owners regarding sanitation/cleanliness. The tables are clean and the restroom area have been maintained by the staff in proper sanitary condition. I give a rate of 5. Ambiance: As for the ambiance, we enjoyed the lunch experience at this restaurant listening to the Christmas music in the background. Definitely, we will come back later to this place in the future. At the time, we were lucky enough to find the place with not too much people and enjoyed our lunch experience. I give a rate of 4. In conclusion, I give a total rate of 4 for this establishment.
(4)Minhee K.
I recently came back here to eat lunch. We ordered Peking noodles (which is ja jang myung for you Koreans) on the regular dinner menu and honey pepper beef from the lunch menu. The hot and sour soup that comes with the lunch meal literally tasted like thick corn starchy water. Was horrible! It made me wonder if the chefs changed because I've had it here before.. wasn't thaaat bad. The Peking noodles (fried black bean sauce with noodles) was not big compared to the many places in Chicago area you can get a huuge bowl for less than 9$. What made me upset was the baby spoonfulls of sauce they out on top, no joke I should have taken a picture. When I asked for more sauce the server looked at me like I was crazy lol. I don't drench my noodles in sauce but what I was served, no one would expect. Half the bowl was full of cucumbers. . and the "meat" they put in there which is typically pork, looked like small cubes of coagulated blood and tasted old. Man was I so dissapointed. We requested that the honey pepper beef be extra spicy.. of course it just came out sweet. Everytime I come they can never accomodate "extra spicy," then why name the business Szechuan, so misleading.The plate was 80% raw onions, 20% honey pepper beef. I doubt I'd come back.
(2)Maria R.
First time here. A mixed experience. We had a group of us so I tried a number of dishes. Here's my breakdown: What I liked: - the Chinese food was better than the sushi - I liked the Mongolian beef, combination fried rice and shrimp with lobster sauce - LOVED the mushu pork (like an Asian taco with plum sauce) - I also liked their tempura and pork cutlet (both from the Japanese menu) - atmosphere and decor was nice What I wasn't crazy for: - the maki - not the delicate taste of Japanese maki that I like. The rice was heavy and super sticky. The pieces of salmon and veggies were chunky. The seaweed wrapper was chewy and bland rather than flaky and seasoned. - the smoothies - average cost but much smaller portion. It was about half the size I get elsewhere at the same $3.75 price. Overall just a so-so experience. I would consider going back for the mushu pork.
(3)Gary C.
Went here with a group of 8. I've eaten at the Chinatown location as well as the one in the west burbs. I was pretty disappointed with the food. A couple of them were okay, but others were just a hot mess. Particarly bad was the salty egg shrimp dish. Completely wrong and resembled something you'd find inside a diaper.
(2)Lori L.
Just tried for the first time. OK, this is really authentic! Highlights: Wonderful green bean appetizer made with fermented black beans and little deep friend bits of tofu (taking the place of pork). Pea pod stems with fresh garlic. Huge quantity of Mapu Tofu. We will be going back for more. (We're vegetarians, and the menu is clearly marked so there is no guesswork.) A huge dinner for 3 (with ample leftovers that will serve as another full mean) for under $40. Two suggestions: Ask them to hold (or go light) on the MSG. I am sure they'll be happy to do so. We didn't, and got that tingly tongue feeling. Also, you can ask for wooden chop sticks (those plastic ones are hard to use). Very exciting news for Skokie, and this new restaurant was appreciated--just open one month (8/2014), and barely an empty table tonight!
(4)Gary S.
All I can say is I ordered my food at 6:10pm called twice finally received my cold hard food at 9pm what a joke . They tried to tell me they were having trouble receiving my order , yet when I called to complain they didn't ask me to give them my order again. Then the guy disconnected me on the phone when I called back he said they forgot to make it. 2 different stories
(1)Lauren G.
Meh. I really wanted to give this place a four star but they service is not the greatest if you're eating there so I would highly recommend to go. Their spicy chili chicken is the most popular with a shit ton and I mean a SHIT ton of chili peppers -literally and figuratively if you know what I'm sayin-ouch! But really good just way toooo spicy ! Overall their food is great it really is! Their crab Rangoon is crunchy and creamy full of cream cheese and small crab bits, their dumplings are soft and chewy just perfect the meat is top notch from their chili chicken to their sesame chicken to their noodles just over all great. The smoothies with tapioca are pretty good but the Tapioca balls tend to be on the harder than softer side-ha-anyways I digress-last time I was there I was getting the food as leftovers after dining in and a fly was on my plate i mean I def didn't take it to go then. I don't think their unsanitary I know that stuff happens and it just flew on to my plate but still threw the whole thing off for me so to go is definitely where it's at
(3)Elaine M.
We went to Lao Sze Chuan Skokie for the first time tonight. We like the Chinatown location, and I believe they have the same menu. Everything we ordered was flavorful and tender. (See photos and descriptions). The fried dishes came out hot and crispy. If it was marked as spicy, it was SPICY. Our waitress was a bit overbearing, but in a nice Chinese Grandma sort of way. Three different people made sure our water glasses were always full. Restaurant was clean and comfortable. All the delivery guys were busy the whole time we were there. We are looking forward to sampling the rest of the menu in the coming months.
(5)Matthew N.
This is the best Chinese place around Skokie. Unfortunately, that's not saying much. Definitely not my favorite place in the world, but it'll do if I don't wish to drive twenty minutes for the good Chinese food.
(3)Steve D.
One of the largest Chinese chain under Tony gourmet group is now comes to Skokie after the Downtown Evanston opened not long ago. They are serving huge menu as other chain Lao Sze Chuan does, some high line of the menu is the "hand made" noodle soup. 6 or 7 different favors or meat wise to choose, spicy or not spicy. We tried the Szechuan string bean, 100% vegetarian, very nice favor. The tender tofu with sole fish fillet, I think this is one of the Mose authentic Chinese cuisines that I had in my life. Super super spicy!!! The vegetarian chicken shanghai style is my LOVE. Chicken letter cup and the spicy chicken wings on the hot appetizer menu are something u must try out!
(5)Nate D.
I love the food here. I've eaten at other LSC locations in the area (Uptown + Evanston) and not been too impressed, but the 3rd time was the charm with Lao Sze Chuan by Old Orchard. GREAT FOOD! GREAT SERVICE! It all starts with the amazing waitstaff who take a "team approach" to service, and are very helpful. They are so friendly and accommodating to families with small children, that we keep coming back almost weekly now! I recommend the Honey Sesame Chicken -- it's crispy, sweet and savory. Also the Bao -- which were scrumptuous little meat dumplings. The Lo Mein/Chow Mein is delicious and not too greasy. I mean the menu is huge and I'm picking off the American-friendly courses, but judging by the very diverse crowd, it's got great authentic cuisine too!
(5)Monica S.
The only good thing about this place is that at the time of writing, the rice is free, unlike the other Lao locations in Chicago and Evanston! Otherwise, on the day I came with two friends, the service was sloppy--our waiters would spill small amounts of sauce on the table and not clean up. The vegetarian noodles here are bland and too oily, though my friends claim the meat based dishes were delicious. To be fair, when I went, they had just opened, so I'll give them a second chance in the future.
(3)Linda L.
We ordered Double fried pork intestine: the first time I ordered it, it was really good. Today when I ordered, there was a weird taste in it. It was from the oil. I think they overused the oil. I had the after taste of oil. It was really nasty. Lamb with cumin powder: lamb stir fry with bell pepper, onions and chillies. It's pretty good. A little oily, but it's Chinese food what can I expect. Mapo Tofu: I am not crazy about this dish. Hot and sour soup: it was okay. I'm not a fan.
(3)khatty k.
We have been here 3 times and have always hoped for improvements but still leave disappointed in the ingredients used for their dishes. We like the Chinatown location better. If you enjoy eating lots of bamboo shoots/spring onions or carbo or fatty meat, you will definitely not be disappointed. Their dishes seem to lack the appropriate Chinese dish proportions. Even the sweet and sour chicken has more flour than needed. The chow mien has more spring onions than a table spoon of vegetables! Lastly, they needed more waitresses - adding just one more would help. Thumbs up for the nice bowl of rice and ambiance. Around the vicinity, I would recommend for Kim's (Glenview) for chinese take-out and AkaiHana (Wilmitte) for sushi. I wonder if not trying this place will help w the review.
(2)Barbara K.
Authentic cuisine using fresh ingredients. Lots of fellow diners spoke Chinese so it might be true. The food is very spicy and I have to be careful that I don't order items marked with a red chile. So beware if you are sensitive to hot food. Wait staff is efficient and polite. Decor is comfortable and attractive. Pricing is fair. By far the best Chinese restaurant in Skokie, Wilmette, Evanston and vicinity.
(4)Effie D.
Huge menu, tasty food, never crowded, clean and nice service.
(4)Terry A.
Delivery service was super fast, but the food was so expensive and I got the famous dry chilli chicken and it wasnt even spicy nothing exciting about the mongolian beef it was large chunks and watery liquid the chow mein was so dry I'm sorry but this isn't the good Chinese food I'm used to Chicago north side 60625 has the best Chinese places
(3)Andrea H.
I've been here several times and their food has been fine but nothing to write home about. And then tonight I learned that all the soups that are supposed to be vegetarian, are made with chicken stock. They will make them with water upon request (hmm- vegetables and noodles in water, I don't think so - I can do that at home!) but otherwise, if you think the soups that are clearly identified as vegetarian are vegetarian, they are NOT! I was told that they will reprint menus in the spring. I was also told, theoretically by the manager that he has trained all the waitstaff to let customers know about the misprint, but this was the first time I have ever been told in all of my visits. I asked how the tofu would be prepared in the tofu with vegetables and he said it would be lightly fried. It came steamed. The dish could not have been more bland. When the manager/waiter came back at the end to ask how everything was, I said, "Just okay" and he said, "great" and left us the bill. Later, I gave him some feedback on the very serious issue with the menu (for people who require vegetarian food for health or religious reasons), the misrepresentation of the food I ordered, and the fact that he asked a question but had not actually listened to the answer. He then offered me 15% off my next visit in exchange for my trouble. No thanks. There will not be a next visit.
(1)Chris T.
I used to live in Chicago and Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown was a regular spot for me. While in town for business, I found that they opened a location in Skokie. Using Grubhub, I had some Tony's Chicken and Mapo Tofu delivered to my hotel. The food was just as good as the Chinatown location. I highly recommend Lao Sze Chuan.
(5)A C.
Décor - Nice, clean, modern environment. Definitely an improvement from the other Lao restaurants in Chinatown. Service - good. One star removed because we received our bill before we finished eating. Otherwise, service was good - we were constantly receiving attention from ALL the waitresses. Food - very tasty, and consistent, like all of Lao restaurants. Food is not bland. Very impressed. Definitely needed in the North Shore. One thing to note: if you cannot take/eat MSG - make sure to note that when ordering. Otherwise, the chefs will cook it in your meal. Portion size is medium, not large, even though Lao is charging dinner menu prices. I only wonder how the lunch specials are sized. Drinks - iced water is complementary. Tea is not. Tea costs .75 cents each. Typically in Chinese restaurants, tea is complimentary and the first to be offered to guests at no charge (and without asking). One additional star removed, since this should not be an additional charge per person. I would definitely return here, but not often, are there are quite a number of other Asian options in the area (not only Tony Hu's restaurants), that are far cheaper in price, and just as good in quality.
(3)Brij V.
This is a hidden gem...loved the chinese food here. Really spicy and awesome taste. Hot wok chicken is really good. Noodles are also awesome...overall its a great restaurant.
(4)Sandy M.
I LOVE szechuan food, and LOVE spicy food, and Lao Sze Chuan did not disappoint! We ordered two starters (green beans with black beans, and pork dumplings) both were delicious! Our meals (Singapore noodles and Fish with pickled chili sauce) were amazing. Expertly prepared and delicious! The service was super friendly too!
(5)Tanya J.
Let's just say, it's good, for the convenience. We go to Chinatown often and this location is about $3-4 more per dish than the ones in Chinatown, but then I don't have to drive down. My hubby got the Lamb Cumin (his favorite dish) which was not as good as the Chinatown location because the taste was not as strong. I got the spicy beef noodle soup which I thought was really good and there was a decent amount of noodles. Our kids shared a bento box which was just ok. We'll definitely go again but may not be a part of the routine.
(3)Linda T.
Really disappointed by this place. We used to go there a lot when it was Hana but am really sad about the new management. Came in 20minutes after they opened and the floor was dirty. The uniforms the staff wore has different samples of the food all dried up. The lunch special order for 2people got mixed up twice. In addition sushi came out before miso and salad. Additional order of sushi (not my order) got delivered to the table. When I told the waitress it is not mine she placed the plate on the table and left. Then picked it up a minute later. Who wants an order that sat on strangers table? Food was ok.
(1)Steve A.
The best Chinese food I've had in my 15 years of living in the area! Everything was very fresh and flavorful. The double-fried noodles had the perfect mix of soft vs. crispy noodles, the home-style tofu was prepared in a wonderful chili sauce, and the mixed vegetable noodle soup was chock full of fresh veggies and chewy noodles. Even the water glasses were continually refilled. If I had to critique something, I'd have to say that the amount of soup broth to "stuff" was lacking, making the second servings a bit dry...and the soup was served directly with the other entrees, instead of beforehand. Nothing earth-shattering. We'll definitely be back.
(4)Shiyun Z.
The one in Evanston will be better than this one, don't suggest to go here for food.
(3)Sana B.
My brother in law and sister love this place. I think the food takes too long to come and what's with the extra charge for hot sauce? How about some customer appreciation? However, I am giving 4 stars because of their spicy scallop roll. I only get the basic roll because it doesn't seem worth it to get anything else. They're not cheap with the meat at all. It's actually quite filling. The only reason I go back.
(4)Sue R.
I do not know what is worse. The quality of the food or the service. When this place was Hana it was wonderful. I have been here a few times and nothing changes. I will never be back again and I intend to tell everybody I know how terrible this place is
(1)Rachel K.
I am very disappointed with the service at this restaurant. My family and I have been to this branch at least a dozen times since December 2014. Yesterday my parents wanted to go for lunch. They told me there was a groupon available for lunch, for 2 or more. I read the fine print, and bought the groupon. We arrived, ordered 3 entrees from the lunch menu, and when we asked for the check, I told the server we had a groupon. She said that we couldn't use the groupon because we had ordered from the lunch menu. I reread the fine print, no such restriction. I pointed that out to her. Then she said her manager told her it was only good for 2 people. I showed her where it said in big print, lunch for 2 or more. I asked for the manager. She refused to get the manager, said they weren't available. Then she said she asked if we had a groupon when we sat down, and sorry, this was a blatant lie. She didn't ask about a groupon. I guess they didn't count on anyone actually using the groupon, just wanted some free publicity. Paid the check, and she offered to take 5% off if we paid in cash. Other times, they offered to take 10% off if we paid in cash. The whole experience was weird and bad. The food was ok. The spicy dishes were ok, the mild dishes were swimming in corn starch, such that there were clots of it and I couldn't tell the chicken pieces from the corn starch clots. The poor and unprofessional service was completely arbitrary and unresponsive. And why the discount for cash payment? Seems sort of fishy to me. Groupon took care of this for me, gave me a refund, but I don't understand not honoring your own advertisements. There are plenty of other options. I won't reward poor behavior or service.
(1)Alex P.
Something that Gordon would say. "Stunning and Amazing" just not exactly in a good way. The food was very good. But the kitchen was horrifically slow this night. I was half expecting to hear Gordon screaming from the kitchen...sadly he was not there... We had szechuan string beans -YUM! and cumin lamb, also YUM! The wraps were ok. And the poor servers were scrambling to keep the patrons happy. Felt sorry for them really. So. Was it worth the wait? Let's just say that i am willing to go again. But i expect them to get their act together and speed up! Otherwise, there are other places to go.
(3)John C.
Dishes are inconsistent. Some delicious and authentic and some mediocre and westernized. Could use a guide as to what's what!
(3)H. O.
Food was bland and spicy. I'll explain. The food lacked and seasoning except hot chili peppers and pepper flakes. We ordered apps -- fried shrimp, egg rolls and crab rangoon. The shrimp was overly breaded. The egg rolls and crab rangoon were serviceable. We ordered veggie fried rice. It was good. The Szechuan chicken and beef with broccoli were wretched. No seasoning on either dish and the chicken dish was so hot that it burnt my palate -- and I like spicy. Not worth the funds. No wonder they were empty. Meh and bleh.
(2)Batman S.
Over price everything is too salty I had to drink a lot of water.
(1)Das T.
Have had Lao's in Chinatown and at the new one in Evanston. Both were great. But we got takeout from this particular location recently and it was quite a disappointment from the quality of the other 2 places. Won't be coming to this one anymore. Cashews were left out of a dish. Veggies were inappropriately soggy. Chicken was over-fried. Ugh!!
(2)Daniel S.
Best Chinese food I've ever had. Only ordered delivery and carry out so I can't comment on dine in service.
(5)Arian B.
First, lets get this out of the way. The food is great at all Lao Sze Chuan restaurants. But this review is not due to the food. This review is in regards to the terrible management process at this restaurant. So lets begin: At 11:30 AM on (10/24/14) Friday, a group of co-workers showed up to have, what we believed, is the best Chinese food in Skokie. To begin we sat at our table for 15 minutes without a waiter approaching us to take an order. I had to flag the manager (Man in a Blue Shirt) to tell him and he quickly grabbed someone to take our order. 15 minutes passes and we all begin to see our food. Except for 1 person. We ate our food and our co-worker still does not see his food. An additional 20 minutes follows with no food. Finally a person from the kitchen shows up confused about what my co-co-worker ordered and had to clarify (5) times before she walked away in confusion. The manager swings by and asks if our co-worker got his food or not. We state no, he has not. Another 20 minutes go by and we finally get the order. By this time, my co-worker wanted it to go because we were already late for work and did not get our food in time. They wrapped the food up and gave it back to us with (1) Single Check. I specifically requested prior to ordering, separate checks (We have done this before and had no issue). The full check arrives. after waiting for over an hour to get one of our co-workers food and to not get our request correct, put us over the edge. I run up to the manager and explain to him that we waited for over an hour on our co-workers meal and we originally requested separate checks. We would like to see some compensation on this meal. He states OK and will see what he can do. He returns, asking us to individually tell him what we ordered and i interrupt him and tell him, the minimum he can do is compensate our co-worker who has not eaten after waiting over an hour. He looks away from me and they bring us our separate checks. With NO COMPENSATION. It is unfortunate, because a simple re-reimbursement due to their negligence of their customer base made us all agree not to go back there again because of the poor service. We work for a large corporation within the neighborhood and we will be informing everyone not to go to this restaurant. If management was understaffed, they should have considered the fact that it is Friday at Lunch at a restaurant with a good name. I suggest "Tony" re-trains his management at this location, because if this has happened to us, i am fairly sure it will happen to other members as well. Not a good start to this restaurant chain.
(1)Lillia P.
Ok, so as you can see by my previous reviews I tend to review quite a bit and I am so disappointed by this place. I can see the previous reviews are good, im guessing these are mostly based on the foot. I'm actually sitting at the restaurant writing this now. We had a party of 16 and after calling to confirm our reservation at 3pm earlier that day and being told it was fine, we show up and they say oh and have to scramble to put a table together. The one star review is based on the service alone, the food was actually very good however the service was probably the worst service I have ever had in my life. I go to sushi at least once a week and I cannot believe the service I had. I understand there is a language barrier however the fact of the matter is the service was unacceptable. We sat at our table for about twenty minutes without menus. One of our party got up and grabbed menus himself, then we sat there for another twenty minutes with still no one stop by. Finally I got up and asked if we can have service. Finally the waitress came and took our orders. The orders started coming one by one slowly, not even in the right order. Half of it was wrong and one of the couples didn't get their order until everyone was done eating. It was complete chaos and very unorganized. Also, apparently we were supposed to all get miso soup and after everyone had finished eating, a person in our party received a giant bowl of miso soup because the waiter felt bad? What are we supposed to do with a giant bowl of miso soup?? I really hope the management team reads this review and takes note. This is my first time here and based on the service alone, I will not be back based on the service alone.
(1)B A.
Avg to below. Get better tasting food from my neighborhood delivery. Food oversalted and very bland flavors. Spicy stuff just spicy but lacks depth of flavoring. Only thing of ten dishes worth getting was lamb with cumin. Disappointed. Sad thing is we are huge fans of Chinatown location. Not even close to same restaurant or food experience. Feels like Tony Y sold out to do this suburban one under same name. Fools you into wasting money here.
(2)Abraham S.
The service was friendly and quick. There were plenary of servers available to help if an extra napkin or plate was needed. The food was also very good but had a little to much sauce. Overall, very happy with my first visit here.
(5)Young S.
I have been looking for a close and yummy place to eat I searched up on yelp Local Chinese Food and this popped up. I am so glad it did, because the food is amazing! I love the soup dumplings and Mongolian beef
(5)Alford L.
Went there with a groupon last night and food was very good. Got the Dry Chili Chicken, Sze Chuan String Beans, Beef flat rice noodles, and the tofu with salty egg. Everything was amazing and delicious. The only thing I didn't like too much was the tofu, but that's more of a personal preference and not the quality of the food. I believe if you liked that kind of food, I am sure you would enjoy it. The service was impeccable. The manager came by a number of times to check on us but wasn't too imposing. Overall a very good experience. Also, it was quite busy for a Wednesday night. Always a good sign.
(4)AJ M.
My buddy recommended this spot. This used to be the old hana which was a great spot for Asian. My review is for takeout, but I will say the place looks great. Almost too good for a place in a strip mall. Prices seem to go up a little since before, but the menu deff got bigger. Crab Ragoon was pretty solid. I also got the firecracker roll, that was good as well but is at a pretty steap price at $15. Grandma's fried rice and Singapore were both really tasty. My favorites were the cumin lamb and Mongolian beef wow! Overall pretty good takeout, will deff keep this place in mind for the future!
(4)Sherry Y.
Still pretty consistent with the last time we went there. One of the members in our party kept speaking Chinese to the servers and assumed they understood the language. One of our servers didn't and it was originally our fault to begin with the assumption. Another server apologized and explained that the other server wasn't Chinese. How is that not excellent service?
(4)Jordan C.
If you're working in or near Skokie and need a relatively in expensive lunch in a timely manner then this just might be your spot. Lao Sze Chuan is located closer to the Sally's Beauty Supply Shop in the shopping complex making parking very accommodating for the most part during "business lunch" hours. The hosts are pretty friendly and will get you seated in no time. The waiters / waitresses are also very tentative and will make sure that your water glass stays filled, even during the busier hours. Speed of services is also really good as well. During my last visit with a party of 5 - the waiter kept each part of our meal (lunch special arrangement) coming as soon as we finished a dish and that's definitely helpful when you have a busier schedule of your own to adhere to. The menu offers a wide selection however I've by default neglected most of it and stuck with the lunch specials after a recommendation from a coworker. The lunch specials run between 11am and 3pm and come with an entrée, soup, bowl of rice and an appetizer in addition to the salad mix you receive once you're seated at a table. I can easily recommend the Sweet n' Sour Chicken along with the crab Rangoon which is always a nice way to tease your pallet as you get into your meal. All in all this a great spot to bring a group of coworkers or during a tighter schedule. The quick and prompt service make it an easy win for you and your wallet!
(3)AJ K.
On our most recent (3rd) visit to the relatively new Lao in Skokie, we were beyond impressed. The food was outstanding. We ordered Egg Rolls, Lychee Bubble tea, Chef's dry chili chicken, pork mooshu (off menu) pancakes, eggplant in garlic sauce, and Sze Chuan green beans. Each dish was cooked perfectly, especially the fried app/entree, which was crisp, hot and fresh tasting (not the smelly oil we often get in Chinese restaurants all over America). The food is not quite as intense (or spicy) as the original Archer Ave location (that made chef Tony an internationally renowned name in the culinary world), but very balanced and palatable to most of us mere mortals. While still maintaining their flavor profile and a kick, the dishes at this location don't give your tongue a lashing of red chilies. As amazing as the food was, the service was extraordinary. Gone are the days of Chinese run restaurants being associated with awful service and rude behavior. The manager at this Lao location - Robert - is a one man hospitality machine, who puts on a clinic everyday on how to make patrons feel valued and welcome. He greeted us warmly, remembering us from our last visit, playfully indulged our little 19 month old, ran about the restaurant making sure we had everything we needed for the little one instantly, and accomplished all of this while making eloquent and pleasant conversation with us (every chance he got) through the entirety of our visit. Kudos to Robert for running the restaurant as well as he does. We plan to visit this restaurant regularly, as it has truly earned our admiration and business!
(5)Jonathan C.
The wife and I got take out, we were really excited to grab food from here as the Chinese near us is sub-par and now we didn't have to make a trip to China Town (or our usual go to spot 'China Chef' in Morton Grove). So we put our order in online with a pickup time of 20 minutes.... I get there about 25 minutes after ordering and they tell me it will be another 10-15 minutes. Basically this is annoying. I'm not saying that it needs to be ready in 20 minutes, but tell me 30-40 minutes and then I'll head over in due course. The food, well the chili chicken was good, but I wish it wasn't just fried chicken with chili around it...... the shrimp dish and the veg were good, but nothing too memorable. I'm sure I'll give this another try again, but not sure when.
(3)Sophia H.
I liked Lao Sze Chuan, and it is situated in a nice area in Skokie. While their food is great, I found their service to be a little lackluster. Just a tip: some of their Chinese servers do not speak Chinese, which is actually fine, but out of the three people that were there, it seemed like there was one person that actually understood what we wanted. When we asked the other two people--in English and Chinese--about whether one of our dishes was being prepared (we waited a long time for one of the dishes so we weren't sure if they forgot to put it in), they kind of looked at us like we had no idea what we were talking about. Our server, who seemed like she understood everything fixed it but it seemed like the other two resorted to her to fix problems, which is slightly concerning. There is a fish dish that is super spicy and contains bamboo root, seafood, and other vegetables. This dish is SUPER spicy! I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. Everything else was superb and contained a great degree of tastiness, but I wouldn't consider it anything special to any other Szechuan places I have tried. That being said, I will probably come back here when I am in Chicago again.
(3)Michelle M.
We were looking for a Chinese restaurant and found this on yelp. I am surprised it doesn't have higher ratings. Service was a little slow but still good. We had the catonese egg rolls they were hot and not greasy like most at other Chinese restaurants. We ordered the house fried rice it was good. The Lo mien style noodles can't remember what thy called them were excellent as were the salt and pepper prawns. We also ordered the lamb special it was good but it wouldn't be something I would ordered again. I saw a lot of amazing plates on near by tables and happy customers wish we would have found this place sooner...
(4)A C.
Décor - Nice, clean, modern environment. Definitely an improvement from the other Lao restaurants in Chinatown. Service - good. One star removed because we received our bill before we finished eating. Otherwise, service was good - we were constantly receiving attention from ALL the waitresses. Food - very tasty, and consistent, like all of Lao restaurants. Food is not bland. Very impressed. Definitely needed in the North Shore. One thing to note: if you cannot take/eat MSG - make sure to note that when ordering. Otherwise, the chefs will cook it in your meal. Portion size is medium, not large, even though Lao is charging dinner menu prices. I only wonder how the lunch specials are sized. Drinks - iced water is complementary. Tea is not. Tea costs .75 cents each. Typically in Chinese restaurants, tea is complimentary and the first to be offered to guests at no charge (and without asking). One additional star removed, since this should not be an additional charge per person. I would definitely return here, but not often, are there are quite a number of other Asian options in the area (not only Tony Hu's restaurants), that are far cheaper in price, and just as good in quality.
(3)Brij V.
This is a hidden gem...loved the chinese food here. Really spicy and awesome taste. Hot wok chicken is really good. Noodles are also awesome...overall its a great restaurant.
(4)Sandy M.
I LOVE szechuan food, and LOVE spicy food, and Lao Sze Chuan did not disappoint! We ordered two starters (green beans with black beans, and pork dumplings) both were delicious! Our meals (Singapore noodles and Fish with pickled chili sauce) were amazing. Expertly prepared and delicious! The service was super friendly too!
(5)Tanya J.
Let's just say, it's good, for the convenience. We go to Chinatown often and this location is about $3-4 more per dish than the ones in Chinatown, but then I don't have to drive down. My hubby got the Lamb Cumin (his favorite dish) which was not as good as the Chinatown location because the taste was not as strong. I got the spicy beef noodle soup which I thought was really good and there was a decent amount of noodles. Our kids shared a bento box which was just ok. We'll definitely go again but may not be a part of the routine.
(3)Jimmy G.
I've dined in a couple of times at this location and I've dined in at the Chinatown location several times as well. We've recently moved to the Southeast side of Glenview and fortunately the Skokie Lao has a delivery radius that hits our house. My first few visits, I ordered many of the house favorites, Tony's Chicken, 3 Chilli, etc. They are great dishes but I've honed in on our favorite orders and they are "back to basics" dishes but I have to say they are the best made standard Chinese dishes I've been able to find in Chicago. We order the large Wonton soup, General's Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Crab Rangoon and Moo Shu Chicken. Nothing strange or fancy....but Lao uses the freshest ingredients, higher quality proteins and they make dumplings and side dishes in house by hand. I lived in San Francisco for several years, and I've been so disappointed by Chinese food in Chicago...until I found Lao. The wonton soup is the best I've ever had and the Mongolian Beef is a dish I would happily pay $25 for...it's the bargain dish of the country at $13. Generals chicken is something that should be so easy to make well, but every other place in Chicago uses crap chicken that seems as if it was frozen in the breading and I have to force it down. Lao's Generals chicken is flawless and I could eat it day after day. I'm so thankful this place has made it to the North Shore region and I hope you get a chance to enjoy it.
(5)Jae S.
Some of the best Sichuanese cuisine I've had! This location was a newer one so they still had a few kinks in the service to iron out but the food was spot on! I had the Fish with Pickled Chili sauce. The flavor was everything I was hoping it would be! My girlfriend liked her Singapore noodles and I think I ate almost all the dumplings! The spice level was right where it needed to be. I like that they have a "non-spicy" menu so they can really amp it up on the spicier food. The green beans and black beans were so good they have made their way into the rotation in our dinners at home.
(5)Arian B.
First, lets get this out of the way. The food is great at all Lao Sze Chuan restaurants. But this review is not due to the food. This review is in regards to the terrible management process at this restaurant. So lets begin: At 11:30 AM on (10/24/14) Friday, a group of co-workers showed up to have, what we believed, is the best Chinese food in Skokie. To begin we sat at our table for 15 minutes without a waiter approaching us to take an order. I had to flag the manager (Man in a Blue Shirt) to tell him and he quickly grabbed someone to take our order. 15 minutes passes and we all begin to see our food. Except for 1 person. We ate our food and our co-worker still does not see his food. An additional 20 minutes follows with no food. Finally a person from the kitchen shows up confused about what my co-co-worker ordered and had to clarify (5) times before she walked away in confusion. The manager swings by and asks if our co-worker got his food or not. We state no, he has not. Another 20 minutes go by and we finally get the order. By this time, my co-worker wanted it to go because we were already late for work and did not get our food in time. They wrapped the food up and gave it back to us with (1) Single Check. I specifically requested prior to ordering, separate checks (We have done this before and had no issue). The full check arrives. after waiting for over an hour to get one of our co-workers food and to not get our request correct, put us over the edge. I run up to the manager and explain to him that we waited for over an hour on our co-workers meal and we originally requested separate checks. We would like to see some compensation on this meal. He states OK and will see what he can do. He returns, asking us to individually tell him what we ordered and i interrupt him and tell him, the minimum he can do is compensate our co-worker who has not eaten after waiting over an hour. He looks away from me and they bring us our separate checks. With NO COMPENSATION. It is unfortunate, because a simple re-reimbursement due to their negligence of their customer base made us all agree not to go back there again because of the poor service. We work for a large corporation within the neighborhood and we will be informing everyone not to go to this restaurant. If management was understaffed, they should have considered the fact that it is Friday at Lunch at a restaurant with a good name. I suggest "Tony" re-trains his management at this location, because if this has happened to us, i am fairly sure it will happen to other members as well. Not a good start to this restaurant chain.
(1)Lillia P.
Ok, so as you can see by my previous reviews I tend to review quite a bit and I am so disappointed by this place. I can see the previous reviews are good, im guessing these are mostly based on the foot. I'm actually sitting at the restaurant writing this now. We had a party of 16 and after calling to confirm our reservation at 3pm earlier that day and being told it was fine, we show up and they say oh and have to scramble to put a table together. The one star review is based on the service alone, the food was actually very good however the service was probably the worst service I have ever had in my life. I go to sushi at least once a week and I cannot believe the service I had. I understand there is a language barrier however the fact of the matter is the service was unacceptable. We sat at our table for about twenty minutes without menus. One of our party got up and grabbed menus himself, then we sat there for another twenty minutes with still no one stop by. Finally I got up and asked if we can have service. Finally the waitress came and took our orders. The orders started coming one by one slowly, not even in the right order. Half of it was wrong and one of the couples didn't get their order until everyone was done eating. It was complete chaos and very unorganized. Also, apparently we were supposed to all get miso soup and after everyone had finished eating, a person in our party received a giant bowl of miso soup because the waiter felt bad? What are we supposed to do with a giant bowl of miso soup?? I really hope the management team reads this review and takes note. This is my first time here and based on the service alone, I will not be back based on the service alone.
(1)B A.
Avg to below. Get better tasting food from my neighborhood delivery. Food oversalted and very bland flavors. Spicy stuff just spicy but lacks depth of flavoring. Only thing of ten dishes worth getting was lamb with cumin. Disappointed. Sad thing is we are huge fans of Chinatown location. Not even close to same restaurant or food experience. Feels like Tony Y sold out to do this suburban one under same name. Fools you into wasting money here.
(2)Abraham S.
The service was friendly and quick. There were plenary of servers available to help if an extra napkin or plate was needed. The food was also very good but had a little to much sauce. Overall, very happy with my first visit here.
(5)Young S.
I have been looking for a close and yummy place to eat I searched up on yelp Local Chinese Food and this popped up. I am so glad it did, because the food is amazing! I love the soup dumplings and Mongolian beef
(5)Romeo Q.
Ordered the dry chili chicken, which is one of this chain's signature items, Mongolian beef tenderloin, and beef fried rice. Items were tasty, perhaps a bit too salty, and reasonably priced. It just wasn't spectacular. Service is prompt and courteous, although we got a strange disappointed look when we declined a box for our few leftovers. Restaurant is nice and clean, unlike the one in Chinatown.
(3)Kevin S.
Great food and fair prices. Home made noodles made on the spot if you order a noodle soup. Sushi is very good and fresh. Sushi rice pretty good. Great small individual saki bottles.
(5)T E.
This used to be Hana Bistro, which we had frequented often; now under new ownership as Lao Sze Chuan, I'm glad the food is still quite good and area delivery acceptably prompt. We have only dined in once since new ownership and it was a complete disaster - suffice to say, take-out will be their bread and butter until and unless they get themselves more organized for dining-in custom. However, their standard fare, such as spring rolls, cantonese egg rolls, crab rangoon, combination fried rice, orange beef, kung pao chicken, mushu pork, spare ribs, etc. - all are consistently tasty and generally arrive good and warm. The maki rolls need a little work. The godzilla roll is still my go-to, but I've tried several others. A few times the maki arrived with ingredients other than described or missing garnish of fish roe or eel. One thing I truly appreciate about their take-out is that when you ask for "extra spicey" they deliver extra spicey; if you ask for extra wasabi pea - you get it! They are a bit on the pricey side, though; if they lowered their prices a buck or two per entree, we'd order once a week instead of once a month.
(4)